« 


vW^^^i 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


'J/. 


Presented  by  Mr.  Samuel  Agnew  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


<SC& 


AgJiezu  Coll.  on  Baptism,  No.    J /\ 


*7  rV  V 


BAPTIST  SUCCESSION: 


HMD-BOOI  OF  BAPTIST  HISTORY. 


/ 


By  D.  B.^'E.AY. 

0/  Lexington,  Kentuclz]], 
AUTHOR   OP    "TEXT-EOOIC    ON    CAMPBELLISSI. 


"Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it." — jlatl.  IG:   13. 

"  But  we  desire  to  hear  of  thee  what  thou  thinlcest ;  for  as  concerning  this 
sect,  we  know  that  every-whore  it  is  spoken  against." — Acts  28:  22. 


CINCINNATI: 

PUBLISHED    FOR    THE    AUTHOR. 


GEO.   E.   STEVEXS  &  CO., 

r*i-iblislxei^s,  IBoolcsGllors,  and.  Stationers. 
1871. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  ISf'O, 

By  D.   B.  bay, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  "Washington. 


BTZEEOTYPrO  EY  UCICAY  &  CULLIN. 


^  A'^.  > 


% 


PREFACE 


The  Angel  said  to  Daniel  that,  in  the  last  days,  "Many  shall  run 
to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased."  This  prophecy  is 
especially  being  fulfilled  as  regards  church  history ;  for  a  number 
of  the  ripest  scholars  of  Europe  and  America  are  devoting  their 
energies  to  this  great  work,  with  the  prospect  of  much  good  as  the 
result.  It  has  ever  been  the  policy  of  Rome  to  destroy,  as  far  as 
possible,  not  only  the  true  church  itself,  but  every  vestige  of  its 
history.  This  fell  design  has  led  Romish  authors  to  make  the  effort  to 
blacken  the  character  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  by  accusing  its  mem- 
bers of  almost  every  crime  which  Satanic  malice  could  invent.  And 
they  have  so  far  succeeded  in  their  purpose,  as  to  make  the  impres- 
sion on  the  multitude,  that  there  is  no  church  successmi  independent 
of  Rome,  and  that  all  other  churches  came  out  of  the  Catholic 
Church !  Baptists  have  with  one  voice  denied  any  connection  with 
the  Romish  apostacy,  and  claimed  their  origin  as  a  church  from 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  apostles.  If  this  claim  of  the  Baptists  is  true, 
they  should  ever  be  willing  and  able  to  furnish  the  evidence  upon 
which  they  rest  their  claims  to  antiquity.  But,  owing  to  the 
scarcity  and  cost  of  old  ecclesiastical  histories  and  documents,  the 
people  are  deprived  of  the  means  of  knowing  the  facts  of  history 
which  ought  to  be  in  the  reach  of  every  one.  It  is  the  design  of 
this  work  to  furnish,  in  a  convenient  shape,  the  leading  facts  of  his- 
tory which  every  Christian  should  know.  I  can  see  no  reason  why 
any  child  of  God  should  be  indifferent  as  to  the  history  of  the 
"martyrs  of  Jesus,"  upon  whose  blood  the  Romish  harlot  was  drunk 
for  so  many  ages.  I  know  that  the  full  details  of  the  cruel  suffer- 
ings of  these  witnesses  for  Christ  is  preserved  alone  in  the  archives  of 
heaven,  and  will  there  be  preserved  till  that  glorious  day  when 
every  hidden  thing  shall  be  brought  to  light. 

Eager  historians  have  ever  been  ready  to  rear  monuments  of  fame 
to  the  memory  of  heroes  and  tyrants  who  ha^e  drenched  the  earth 


iv  (Preface. 


in  human  blood,  and  haA'e  arisen  to  greatness  tlirough  treachery 
and  crime;  and  the  admiring  multitudes  are  ready  to  shout  the 
praises  of  these  human  butchers,  that  have  shrouded  nations  in 
mourning  and  distress.  But,  how  few  are  interested  in  the  history 
of  those  men  and  women  of  whom  the  world  is  not  worthy,  who 
forsook  all  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  became  pilgrims  and 
strangers  on  the  earth.  They  were  often  clad  in  sheep-skins  and 
goat-skins,  and  wandered  in  deserts  and  mountains;  they  sometimes 
lived  in  caves  and  dens  of  the  earth,  or  dragged  out  their  wretched 
lives  in  filthy  prison-dungeons ;  and, at  last,thousands  of  them  sealed 
their  testimony  at  the  stake,  where  they  sang  and  shouted  the  praises 
of  God,  amidst  the  flames  which  devoured  their  bodies.  Is  it  pos- 
sible that  God's  children,  who  are  more  highly  favored,  feel  no 
interest  in  the  investigation  of  the  history  of  the  Bride  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whose  wanderings  in  the  wilderness  may  be  traced  by  her 
martyr  blood,  as  seen  in  the  gloomy  light  of  the  martyr  fires?  We 
have  a  number  of  valuable  histories  of  the  Baptists — such  as  those 
written  by  Crosby,  Ivimey,  Orchard,  Benedict,  Cramp,  and  others; 
but  still  there  is  a  demand  for  the  Hand-Booh  of  Baptist  History, 
arranged  for  convenient  reference.  This  work  will  be  found  espe- 
cially valuable  to  those  who  do  not  have  access  to  historic  libraries. 
Instead  of  being  compelled  to  search  for  years  through  rare  and 
musty  volumes,  the  reader  is  here  furnished  with  the  facts,  suitably 
arranged,  to  meet  all  ordinary  demands.  This  collection  has  been 
prepared  at  great  cost  and  labor,  amidst  the  pressure  of  other  cares 
and  duties.  The  reader  is  left  to  judge  for  himself  as  to  the  merits 
of  the  present  volume.  It  is  my  earnest  desire  to  point  sinners  to 
Jesus  Christ,  as  the  only  name  given  in  heaven,  or  among  men, 
whereby  they  can  be  saved.  And  I  also  wish  to  aid  the  people  of 
God,  by  pointing  them  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  the 
"  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth." 

Praying  that  the  blessings  of  God  may  rest  upon  this  effort  to 
promote  His  glory,  I  dedicate  this  work  to  the  Churches  of  Jesus 
Christ.  D.  B.  K. 


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COISr  TENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

1.  The  Visibility  of  the  Church  or  Kingdom 9 

2.  The  Nature  of  the  Succession 15 

3.  Baptist  Peculiarities 19 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE  ''MISSIONARY"   AND  ''OLD-SCHOOL"  BAPTISTS. 

1.  The  Regular  Baptists  and  the  Anti-Mission   Baptists  were   once 

associated  together  as  One  People 22 

2.  In  the  Separation,  the  "Hard-Shell,"  or  Anti-Mission  Baptists, 

were   the    Seceding    Party,  -which    withdrew  from    the   Regular 
Baptists 24 

3.  "From  the  days  of  the  Apostles   to  the   present  time,  the  true, 

legitimate  Baptist  Church  has  ever  been  a  Missionary  body"....     26 

4.  The  Churches  founded  by  Christ  and  the  Apostles  were  Missionary 

Churches 33 

6.  The  Ancient  Regular  Baptists  in  favor  of  Ministerial  Education...     37 

CHAPTER  III. 
AMERICAN    BAPTISTS. 

1.  Roger  "Williams  was  never  a  Member  of  a  true,  legitimate  Baptist 

Church 42 

2.  The  Newport,  and  not  the  present  Providence  First  Church,  the 

oldest  Baptist  Church  in  America 61 

3.  No  present  Baptist  Church  or  Minister  has  Baptism  by  Succession 

from  Roger  Williams  58 

4.  Baptist  Ministers  from  Europe  who  aided  in  planting  the  Early 

American  churches 62 


vi  Contents. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
ENGLISH    BAPTISTS. 

PAGE. 

1.  The  English  Baptists  did  not  Originate  with  John  Smith  76 

2,  The  English  Baptists  are  descenrted  from  the  German  Baptists 84 

CHAPTER  V. 
GERMAN    BAPTISTS. 

1.  The  German  Baptists  did  not  Originate  with  the  Munster  Riot 91 

2.  The  German  Baptists  descended  from  the  Ancient  Waldenses. 99 

CHAPTER    VI. 

THE    ANCIENT    WALDENSES. 

1.  The  Name  Waldenses 107 

2.  The  Charge  of  Drs.  Miller  and  Rice  against  Jones,  the  Historian,  114 

3.  Ancient  Waldenses  Baptists — Modern  Waldenses  Pedobaptists 121 

4.  The  Origin  of  the  Waldenses  138 

CHAPTER    VII. 

THE   NOYATIANS. 

1.  The  Churches    called    "  Novatian    Churches "    did   not  Originate 

with   Novatian 154 

2.  The  Origin  of  the  Novatians 159 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

BAPTIST    PECULIARITY    FIRST  — JESUS    THE    FOUNDER 
AND   HEAD. 

1.  Peculiarity  First  tested  by  the  Bible 171 

2.  Peculiarity  First  identified  in  Present  Baptist  Teaching 178 

CHAPTER    IX. 

BAPTIST    PECULIARITY   SECOND  — THE    BIBLE   AS    THE 
RULE    OF    CONDUCT. 

1.  Peculiarity  Second  tested  by  the  Bible 180 

2.  Peculiarity  Second  identified  in  Present  Baptist  Teaching  184 


Contents. 


Vll 


CHAPTER    X. 

BAPTIST   PECULIARITY    THIRD— ORDER   OF    THE    COM- 
MANDMENTS. 

PAGE. 

1.  Peculiarity  Third  tested  by  the  Bible  190 

2.  Peculiarity  Third  identified  in  Present  Baptist  Teaching 195 


CHAPTEE    XI. 

BAPTIST   PECULIARITY  FOURTH  — BURIAL    IN   BAPTISM 
OF    THE    DEAD    TO   SIN. 

1.  Baptist  Peculiarity  FourtET  tested  by  the  Bible 199 

2.  Peculiarity  Fourth  identified  in  Present  Baptist  Teaching... 206 

CHAPTER    XII. 

BAPTIST   PECULIARITY   FIFTH —EQUALITY    IN    THE 
KINGDOM. 

1.  Baptist  Peculiarity  Fifth  tested  by  the  Bible 209 

2.  Peculiarity  Fifth  identified  in  Present  Baptist  Teaching 223 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

PECULIARITY   SIXTH  — RESTRICTED    COMMUNION. 

1.  Objections  to  Restricted  Communion  answered  233 

2.  Baptist  Peculiarity  Sixth — Restricted  Communion  tested  by  the 

Bible 239 

3.  Concessions  to  Baptist  Views  of  Communion 250 

4.  Peculiarity  Sixth — Communion   in   the   Kingdom   identified   with 

Present  Baptist  Teaching 2G2 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

PECULIARITY   SEVENTH  — THE    TRUE   CHURCH   PERSE- 
CUTED. 

1.  Peculiarity  Seventh — the  True  Church  Persecuted — tested  by  the 

Bible 260 

2.  Peculiarity  Seventh  identified  in  Modern  Baptist  History 271 


viii  Contents. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

PRIMITIVE  CHURCHES  — FROM  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OP 
THE  CHURCH  TO  THE  KOVATIAN  RUPTURE— A  PERIOD 
OF  ABOUT  TWO  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY  YEARS. 

PAGE. 

1.  Peculiarities  applied  to  the  Primitive  Churclies 285 

2.  Bishop  and  Elder  the  same  Office  302 

3.  Errors  which  Originated  in  this  Period  304 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE  NOVATIAN  PERIOD  — ABOUT  TWO  HUNDRED  YEARS. 

1.  Peculiarities  applied  to  the  Noyatians 313 

2.  The  Great  Apostacy   329 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE    WALDENSEAN    PERIOD —  TWELVE    HUNDRED    AND 
SIXTY    YEARS. 

1.  Prophetic  History  of  the  Church  during  this  Period 336 

2.  The  Peculiarities  applied  to  the  Waldenses 347 

3.  False  Churches  which  arose  during  this  Period 393 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

MODERN  BAPTIST  PERIOD. 

1.  PccuHarities  applied  to  Modern  Baptists ....    409 

2.  Ancient  and  Modern  Mennonites  431 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
Conclusion 443 

APPENDIX  451 

ABBREVIATIONS 459 


BAPTIST  SUCCfi^BlON 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  KINGDOM. 

1.  The  Visibility  of  the  Chujich  or  Kingdom. 

2.  The  Nature  of  the  Succession. 

3.  Baptist  Peculiarities. 

Section  I. — The  visibility   of  the   chuech   oe 

KINGDOM. 

TJie  Visibility  of  the  Kingdom.  —  "The  law  and  the 
prophets  were  until  John:   smce  that  time 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every 
man  presseth  into  it." 

This  text  of  itself  is  sufficient  to  establish  the  visibility 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  admitted  by  ajl  parties  that 
Jesus  Christ  has  a  kingdom  on  earth.  I  believe  there  are 
three  theories  concerning  the  government  of  Christ  on 
earth  :  The  first  is,  that  God  has  two  kingdoms  on  earth ; 
the  one  a  visible  organization,  and  the  other  the  invisible 
reign  of  grace  in  the  hearts  of  men.  The  tendency  of  this 
view  is  to  the  neglect  of,  and  contempt  for,  the  positive  or- 
dinances and  requirements  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  individ- 
ual is  made  to  believe  that  he  has  been  baptized  with  the 
J^Ioly  Spirit,  and  is  a  member  of  the  "invisible"  church; 
and  he  therefore  regards  the  positive  laws  of  the  King  in 
Zion  as  only  types  and  shadows,  of  little  or  no  consequence. 


10  The  Kingdom. 


A  second  theory  is,  that  there  is  no  visible  kingdom  of 
Christ  on  earth ;  that  the  real  kingdom  of  God  is  in  the 
hearts  of  his  subjects,  and  those  who  embrace  this  position 
feel  themselves  at  liberty  to  institute,  change,  or  abolish 
laws  and  customs.  They  persuade  themselves  that  God  has 
made  no  laws  to  govern  his  kingdom;  and  hence  they 
come  to  the  rescue,  and  enact  laws  for  the  control  of  the 
people  of  God.  This  view  has  been  the  mother  of  the  vast 
variety  of  church  organizations  in  the  land. 

But  the  third  theory  is,  that  Jesus  Christ  established  a 
visibly  church,  or  kingdom,  during  his  ministry  on  earth; 
and  that  the  invisible  kingdom  is  composed  of  that  part 
of  the  church  of  the  first  born,  that  have  entered  heaven. 

This  last  position  we  adopt.  We  do  not  believe  that 
Jesus  Christ  organized  an  "  invisible  ^^  church,  or  king- 
dom, on  earth.  We  freely  admit,  however,  that  there  are 
some  of  God^s  visible  children  in  Babylon,  who  are 
commanded  to  come  out  of  her.  For  John  said :  '^  And 
10.4  I  heard  another  voice  from  heaven,  saying, 
Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not 
partakers  of  her  sin,  and  that  ye  receive  not  of  her 
plagues.^' 

Were  these  people  of  God  in  Babylon  and  in  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  at  the  same  time? 

The  following  Scriptures  are  often  urged  in  opposition 
to  the  visibility  of  the  kingdom : 

1.  "  And  when  he  w^as  demanded  of  the  Pharisees  when 

r  7  -.^  ^A  01   tl^G  kinp:dom  of  God  should  come,  he  an- 

Luke  17:  20, 21.  ^  .  ^    rr^^      ■,  .       ^  n  r^    -i 

swered  them  and  said.  The  kingdom  01  God 

cometh  not  with  observation:     Neither  shall  they  say, 

Lo  here !  or,  Lo  there !  for,  behold,  the  kingdom  of  God 

is  within  you." 


The  Kingdo^n  Visible.  11 

The  translation  of  tliis  passage  is  evidently  defective. 
For  the  words,  "  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you/'  were 
addressed,  not  to  the  disciples  of  Christ,  but  to  the  wicked 
Pharisees.  It  is  certain  that  the  kingdom  of  God  was 
not  in  their  murderous  hearts.  Some  translate  the  Greek 
])reposition  entos,  in  this  passage,  among;  and  this  would 
make  the  Saviour  say,  "the  kingdom  of  God  is  among 
you/'  or,  in  your  midst.  That  is,  the  members  of  the 
kingdom  were  then  in  the  presence  of,  and  among,  the 
Jews. 

It  came  not  with  observation ;  that  is,  it  was  not  estab- 
lished with  carnal  weapons,  amidst  the  confusion  of  battles 
and  victories  over  conquered  armies. 

2.  ^^  For  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink; 
hut  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost:'  ^'^'"'  ^^''  ^^' 

How  this  passage  can  be  tortured  to  prove  the  invisi- 
bility of  the  kingdom  on  earth,  I  am  unable  to  see.  The 
apostle,  no  doubt,  was  talking  in  this  chapter  of  the  meats 
offered  in  sacrifice  to  idols ;  and  he  thought  it  best  not  to 
eat  such  meat,  lest  the  weak  brother  be  made  to  offend. 
Does  any  one  who  holds  the  visibility  of  the  kingdom, 
teach  that  the  kingdom  consists  in  meat  and  drink  f 
Verily  not.  But  what  does  the  apostle  mean  when  he 
says  the  kingdom  of  God  is  righteousness,  peace,  and  joy 
in  the  Holy  Ghost  f  Does  he  teach  the  invisibility  of 
the  kingdom  ?  No :  For  the  very  first  element  of  the 
kingdom,  named  by  the  apostle,  is  righteousness,  which 
certainly  includes  visible  obedience  to  the  ordinances  of 
the  kingdom.  The  baptism  of  Jesus  was  a  part  of  the 
righteousness  of  the  kingdom;   for  he  said,  q    i- 

"  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness," 


12  The  Kingdom, 


3.  '^For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body, 
o  Q  ^^^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^  Jews  or  Greeks,  whether  we 
be  bond  or  free;  and  have  been  all  made  to 
drink  into  one  SjnritJ^ 

This  passage  is  relied  on  by  some  to  support  the  notion 
that  persons  are  now  baptized  by  the  Holy  Spirit  into 
the  invisible  church  !  They  talk  very  confidently  of  their 
baptism  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  membership  in  the  Church 
of  Christ,  independent  of  all  church  organizations. 

Such  persons  have  certainly  forgotten  that  the  real 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  always  endowed  the  possessor 
with  the  gift  of  tongues  or  inspiration.  And  they  have 
overlooked  the  fact,  that  regeneration  is  one  thing,  and 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  quite  another.  But  to  the 
passage :  "  For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one 
body,^^  etc. 

A  better  rendering  of  this  passage  would  be,  "In  one 
spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body.^^  In  is  the  pri- 
mary meaning  of  the  Greek  preposition  en — rendered,  in 
our  version,  by.  The  meaning  of  the  passage  is,  in  one 
Spirit,  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  we  have  all  been  baptized  into 
one  body — i.  e.,  the  visible  kingdom  or  Church  of  Christ. 

It  is  certain  that  Holy  Spirit  baptism  is  not  referred  to 
in  this  passage.  If  so,  we  would  have  the  Holy  Spirit 
both  the  administrator  and  element.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered, that  the  Scriptures  nowhere  represent  the  Holy 
Spirit  as  the  administrator  of  baptism  of  any  kind.  Jesus 
Christ  was  the  only  administrator  of  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

We  now  proceed  to  introduce  the  Scriptures  which  teach 
the  visibility  of  the  kingdom  or  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  freely  admitted  that  the  term  church  is   usually 


The  Kingdom  Visible.  13 

applied  in  the  New  Testament  to  local  bodies;  as,  the 
Church  at  Jerusalem,  the  Church  at  Antioch,  the  Church 
at  Rome,  etc. 

But  I  am  satisfied  that  the  term  church,  or  ecdcsia,  is 
also  used  by  inspiration  in  the  sense  of  kingdom.  And 
such  an  example  we  have  in  Matt,  xvi:  18;  where  the 
Savior  said:     ^'Upon  this  rock  I  will  build     ,^  ,,  ^^    ^„ 

1  1  11  r>   1      n       1      n  Jlatt.  16 1    18. 

my  church,  and  the  gates  oi  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it.^^ 

I  take  this  declaration  of  the  Messiah  as  my  first  proof 
of  the  visibility  of  the  church  or  kingdom.  For  if  the 
Savior  alluded  to  the  reign  of  grace  in  the  heart  when  he 
said,  "I  will  build  my  church,^^  this  would  contradict 
facts ;  for  the  reign  of  grace  had  already  been  built  in  the 
hearts  of  men  from  the  time  of  Abel.  Therefore,  as  that 
something  which  men  are  pleased  to  call  the  invisible 
kingdom,  had  been  set  up  about  four  thousand  years  in 
the  past,  it  is  certain  that  Jesus  Christ  did  not  allude  to 
the  reign  of  grace  in  the  heart  when  he  said,  "  I  will 
build  my  church.^^  And  as  the  Scriptures  teach  that 
none  but  men  and  women,  believers,  are  eligible  to  church 
membership,  therefore  it  would  be  as  appropriate  to 
speak  of  invisible  men  and  women  on  earth  as  to  speak 
of  an  invisible  church  on  earth  composed  of  men  and 


women 


2.  ^'  And  from  the  days  of  John  the  Baptist  until  now, 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffercth  violence,  and 
the  violent  tahe  it  by  forceJ'^ 

^yill  it  be  said  that  violent  men  take  the  invisible  king- 
dom by  force  ? 

This  is  too  absurd.     But  how  could  an  invisible  king- 
dom suffer  violence  ?     The  kingdom  of  Christ,  as  a  visi- 


14  The  Kingdom. 


ble  body,  has  suffered  violence  from  the  days  of  John  the 
Baptist  even  until  now. 

3.  "  Tlien  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  Ulcened  unto 

ten  vb-qins  which  took  their  lamps  and  went 

Matt.  2b :  l-l^.  ^      ,    /  wi      i    •  i  a     ^^         ^ 

lortli  to  meet  the  bridegroom.     And  live  oi 

them  were  wise  and  five  were  foolish/'  etc. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  foolish  virgins  repre- 
sent false  professors  in  the  kingdom.  But  if  it  refers  to 
the  invisible  kingdom  of  grace  in  the  heart,  then  the  doc- 
trine of  final  apostacy  is  true.  But  the  very  fact  that 
false  professors,  foolish  virgins,  are  in  the  kingdom,  shows 
that  the  kingdom  must  be  a  visible  organization. 

4.  The  Savior  said,  at  the  institution  of  the  supper,  "  I 

appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father 
'  '  hath  appointed  unto  me ;  That  ye  may  eat 
and  drink  at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,"  etc. 

Here  the  Savior  has  fixed  the  Lord's  table  in  the 
kingdom.  Did  he  place  the  visible  Communion  in  an 
invisible  kingdom  ?  The  very  fact  that  he  instituted  the 
supper,  a  visible  ordinance,  in  the  kingdom,  is  positive 
proof  that  that  kingdom  is  visible.  Jesus  Christ  has  but 
one  kingdom  on  earth,  and  that  is  a  visible  organization, 
especially  to  those  who  have  been  born  again.  It  has  visi- 
ble subjects :  those  who  have  exercised  repentance  and 
faith,  and  have  been  buried  with  Christ  in  baptism,  and 
are  walking  in  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord's  house.  It 
has  visible  laws,  which  are  contained  in  the  Word  of 
God.  And  it  has  visible  ordinances:  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper. 

Therefore,  we  conclude  that  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  a  visible  organization.  Once  more,  it  is  certain 
that  Jesus  Christ  set  up  a  visible  kingdom,  from  the  fol- 


JNahire  of  the  Succession.  15 

lowing  prediction  of  Daniel :  "  And  in  the  days  of  these 
kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  king- 
dom,  which  shall  never  be  destroyed,  and  the 
kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other  people;  but  it  shall 
break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it 
shall  stand  forever."  The  reign  of  grace  had  been  up  in 
the  hearts  of  men  long  before  this  prophecy  was  uttered ; 
but  the  kingdom  to  be  set  up  was  still  future ;  therefore, 
this  prediction  could  not  refer  to  the  reign  of  grace  in 
the  hearts  of  men.  It  is  admitted  that  the  term  church 
is  applied  in  the  Scriptures  to  denote  all  the  saints  in 
heaven  and  on  earth ;  and  that  many  of  the  children  of 
God  on  earth  do  not  belong  to  his  true  church ;  and  it 
may  be  that  the  term  kingdom  is  used  in  the  same  way. 
But,  I  contend  that  Avhen  the  term  kingdom  is  used,  in  the 
New  Testament,  with  reference  to  this  earth  alone,  it 
always  refers  to  what  is  known  as  the  visible  kingdom. 


Section  IL — The  nature  of  the  succession. 

All  well-informed  Baptists  are  agreed  in  the  belief 
that  we,  as  a  people,  have  continued  from  the  time  of 
Christ  until  the  present.  In  other  words,  they  hold  and 
teach  the  perpetuity  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  They 
believe  that  the  Baptist  succession  exists;  that  there  has 
been  no  period  of  time  since  the  death  of  Christ  when 
Baptists  have  not  existed.  But  Baptists  do  not  claim 
"  apostolic  succession/'  because  they  admit  that  the  apos- 
tolic office  expired  with  the  death  of  John  the  beloved. 
Til  ere  was  no  more  necessity  for  the  apostolic  office  when 
Christianity  was  fully  established  and  the  canon  of  reve- 
lation completed.     Neither  do  we  claim  Popish  succes- 


16  The  Kingdofn. 


sion,  for  this  is  only  the  succession  of  Antichrist.  But 
while  some  agree  that  the  Baptist  succession  does  exist, 
or  that  a  succession  of  Baptists  has  continued  from  the 
time  of  Christ  to  the  present,  yet  they,  at  the  same  time, 
deny  that  the  succession  can  be  proved.  This  is  wholly 
inconsistent;  for  no  one  has  the  right  to  believe  that 
which  can  not  be  proved.  There  can  be  no  intelligent 
faith  without  evidence.  If  we  have  no  evidence  to  prove 
a  succession,  it  is  out  of  the  question  to  affirm  that  we  be- 
lieve in  the  existence  of  such  succession.  It  appears  that 
the  taunts  of  our  opponents  have  caused  some  of  us  al- 
most to  surrender  our  birthright.  They  tell  us  that  this 
claim  to  succession  is  a  "Popish  principle,^'  a  "mark  of 
the  Beast,^^  etc.  But  shall  we  reject  a  Bible  doctrine  be- 
cause it  has  been  perverted  by  the  Church  of  Kome"? 
Shall  we  reject  the  divinity  of  Christ  because  this  is  held 
by  the  Church  of  Bome?  Shall  we  reject  the  ordinances 
of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  because  these  have  been 
perverted  by  the  Church  of  Home  ?  Or  shall  we  give  up 
our  church  organization  because  the  Church  of  Home,  pro- 
fessing to  be  the  Church  of  Christ,  has  become  the  most 
cruel  ecclesiastical  despotism  which  has  ever  disgraced 
the  name  of  Christianity?  Shall  we  reject  all  currency 
because  of  the  counterfeit?  And  shall  we  surrender  the 
perpetuity  or  succession  of  the  "  everlasting  kingdom  "  of 
Jesus  Christ  because  the  Catholics  have  inaugurated  the 
Popish  succession  of  Antichrist  ? 

But  again,  we  are  told  that  there  is  no  importance 
whatever  attached  to  the  doctrine  of  succession ;  that  it 
makes  no  difference  whether  we  are  in  the  succession  or 
not,  if  we  hold  the  Bible  doctrine  at  the  present  time ! 
But  no  man  can  hold  the  Bible  doctrine  of  church  organ- 


Moiture  of  the  Succession.  17 

ization  who  denies  the  saccession.  No  man  can  be  in  the 
church  or  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  who  is  not  in  that 
kingdom  which  has  the  succession  from  the  apostolic  age. 
Is  it  not  important  to  know  that  the  words  of  Jesus 
Christ  have  been  verified  which  are  recorded  in  Matt, 
xvi:  18:  "Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and 
the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it  '^  ?  Is  it  not 
important  to  know  that  the  Church  of  Christ,  which  is  the 
"  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth,"  has  been  "  kept  by  the 
power  of  God  "  as  the  beacon-light  of  the  world  through 
the  dark  ages,  while  the  masses  of  mankind  were  won- 
dering after  the  Beast?  Is  it  not  important  to  know  that 
the  more  than  fifty  millions  of  martyred  saints,  whose 
blood  has  been  poured  forth  like  rivers,  or  whose  bones 
have  bleached  upon  the  mountains  and  vales  of  Europe, 
and  whose  ashes  have  been  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of 
heaven,  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ?  Or  shall 
we  say,  it  makes  no  difference  wdth  us  whether  they  fell  as 
martyrs  of  Jesus  Christ  or  died  as  members  of  Antichrist? 

It  is  no  new  doctrine  among  Baptists  to  claim  the  suc- 
cession of  the  churches  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  author  of 
the  Religious  Encyclopedia  says :  "  They  [Baptists]  think 
that  the  Christian  church,  properly  so  „  ,  ^ 
called,  was  not  visibly  organized  m  the 
family  of  Abraham  nor  in  the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  but 
by  the  ministry  of  Christ  himself  and  of  his  apos- 
tles. ^  *  *  *  ^11  this  time  there  were  Baptist  churches. 
*  j|i  H«  *  ^  succession  of  the  Novatians,  or  the  true 
church,  has  continued  down  to  the  Reformation." 

Joseph  Belcher  says :  "  It  will  be  seen  that  the  Bap- 
tists claim  the  high  antiquity  of  the  com-  -^^^  Dcnom  in 
mencement  of  the  Christian  church.   They    E.  &  A.,  p.  53. 


18  The  Kingdom 


t>' 


can  trace  a  succession  of  those  who  have  believed  the 
same  doctrine  and  administered  the  same  ordinances 
directly  up  to  the  apostolic  age.'^ 

Mr.  Benedict  says:  ^^The  more  I  study  the  subject,  the 

stroDger  are  my  convictions,  that  if  all  the 

Ben  Hist.  BapL,    ^^^^^  .^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^^  1^^  disclosed,  a  very 

p.  51.  .  J  J 

good  succession  could  be  made  out.'^ 

Dr.  Howell  says :  "  I  assert  that  from  the  days  of  the 
apostles  to  the  present  time  the  true,  legit- 
wff  ^  I'  i'inate  Baptist  Church  has  ever  been  a 
missionary  bodyJ^ 

John  L.  Waller  says :  "  Here  we  rest  our  cause ;  the 

case  is   made  out.     The  doctrine  of  re- 
Baptists  not  Pro-     n        •  xi        -r>        i     r^i.        x.     • 

f  f        /LA_zii    loi'imiig    the   r^apal    Church    is   unwar- 

ranted    by   Scripture    and    unsupported 
by  history. 

The  Church  of  Christ  w^as  persecuted,  but  never  over- 
thrown ;  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed.  It  was  built  upon 
a  rock,  against  which  neither  the  powers  of  darkness  nor 
the  seductions  of  Satan,  transformed  into  an  angel  of  light, 
could  prevail.  Poor,  persecuted,  obscure,  and  despised, 
still  the  true  friends  of  the  Redeemer  maintained  the 
great  truths  of  our  holy  religion,  unterrified  by  opposi- 
tion and  unseduced  by  corruption.  And  the  honor  of  be- 
ing the  w^itnesses  for  the  truth  and  the  w^ord  of  God,  when 
the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth  had  bowed  in  blind  and 
servile  obedience  to  the  authority  of  the  Roman  Pontiff, 
in  sustaining  in  undiminished  radiance  and  splendor  the 
allar-fires  of  our  holy  religion  during  the  long  and  drearv 
darkness  of  the  w^orld's  midnight,  belongs  to  the  Bajj- 
tists.  This  is  confessed  by  their  enemies;  and  thus  in 
them  is  fuliilled  the  predictions  of  the  prophets,  and  illus- 


(Baptist  (Peculiarities.  19 

traterl  that  promise  of  the  Savior,  '  that  the  gates  of  hell 
should  not  prevail  against  his  church/  '^ 

The  succession  was  also  maintained  by  the  Baptist  mar- 
tyrs of  past  ages.  One  important  object  in  pointing  out 
our  denominational  history  is  to  stimulate  the  zeal  of  mod- 
ern Baptists  by  the  heroic  examples  of  our  ancient  breth- 
ren and  sisters,  who  sealed  their  testimony  with  their 
blood,  by  showing  that  they  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things 
earthly  for  the  same  principles  which  distinguish  us  as  a 
denomination.  In  other  words,  our  principles  have  been 
handed  down  to  us  at  the  cost  of  the  lives  of  millions  of 
our  brethren  and  sisters  who  loved  the  Church  of  Christ 
more  than  life  itself.  Like  Abel,  being  dead,  they  yet 
speak  to  us  of  the  glorious  things  concerning  the  king- 
dom of  Christ,  and  still  continue  to  bear  witness  against 
every  form  of  Antichrist. 


Section  III. — Baptist  peculiarities. 

Before  following  up  our  line  of  succession  it  becomes 
necessary  to  lay  down  some  characteristic  features  which 
have  distinguished  Baptists  from  all  others  through  the 
past  ages. 

It  is  said  by  Solomon  that  Wisdom  hath  built  her 
house ;  she  hath  hewn  out  her  seven  pillars ;  and  I  will 
here  present  seven  pillars  or  peculiarities  which  distin- 
guish Baptists  from  all  others. 

1.  The  Baptists y  as  a  church  or  kingdom,  recognize  Jesua 
Christ  alone  as  their  founder  and  head. 

2.  The  Baptisis  regard  the  Bible  alone  as  their  rule  of 
faith  and  practice, 

3.  The  Baptists  perpetuate  the  Bible  order  of  the  com- 


20  The  Kingdom. 


mandments  ;  they  teach  repentance,  faith,  baptism,  and  the 
Lord's  Supper. 

4.  Baptists  immerse,  or  bury  with  Christ  in  baptism, 
only  those  who  profess  to  be  dead  to,  or  freed  from,  sin. 

5.  Baptists  recognize  equal  rights  or  privileges  in  the 
execution  of  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ. 

6.  Baptists  observe  the  Lord's  Supper  at  his  table  in  his 
kingdom. 

7.  Baptists  have  never  persecuted  others  ;  but  have  them- 
selves always  been  peculiarly  persecuted  and  every-where 
spoken  against. 

There  is  no  denomination  in  all  Christendom,  except 
the  Baptists,  which  holds  any  one  of  these  seven  peculiar- 
ities. They  are,  therefore.  Baptist  peculiarities.  All 
Christians  who  hold  and  practice  these  principles  may  be 
regarded  as  belonging  to  the  Baptist  family,  whether  they 
are  called  Missionary,  Old  School,  or  Seventh-day  Bap- 
tists. We  are  not  contending  for  the  succession  of  the 
name  "  Baptist,'^  but  for  the  perpetuity  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  which  is  now  called  "  The  Baptist  Church."  Bap- 
tists have  never  been  sticklers  about  their  name.  They 
have  been  called  by  a  multitude  of  names  by  their  ene- 
mies. Even  the  name  Baptist  was  not  assumed  by  them. 
On  this  point  Joseph  Belcher  remarks :  '^  The  name  of 
p  Baptist   originated,   not  wdth   the  party 

so-called,  but  wdth  their  opponents. 
Formerly  they  were  called  Anabaptists,  or  i?e-baptizers, 
which  they  rejected  as  involving  what  they  deemed  a  mis- 
representation ;  because,  in  their  view,  none  are  baptized 
but  the  parties  mentioned  in  the  Scriptural  law  relating 
to  the  subject,  and  to  whom  it  is  administered  in  the  only 
prescribed  mode.'^     But  as  the  name  Baptist  is  not  a  mis- 


(Baptist  (Peculiarities.  21 

representation,  we  raise  no  objection  to  it.  The  first  ad- 
ministrator of  baptism  was  called  the  Baptist  by  inspira- 
tion; and  as  Baptist  churches  administer  the  same  ordi- 
nance through  their  ministers,  therefore  it  is  not  unscrip- 
tural  to  call  them  Baptist  churches. 

The  Baptist  denomination  of  America  numbers  over  a 
million  members,  and  is  the  most  influential  and  aggress- 
ive church  on  the  continent.  Our  enemies  are  as  much 
divided  in  their  testimony  in  regard  to  our  origin  as  were 
the  witnesses  who  testified  against  Jesus.  Some  say  that 
we  sprang  from  the  "  Hard-Shell  ^^  or  Anti-Mission  Bap- 
tists ;  'others,  that  we  originated  with  Roger  Williams,  or 
the  Munster  riot;  while  all  are  agreed  in  saying,  "Away 
with  them." 


22         Missionary  and  Old  School  ^Baptists. 
CHAPTEH    II. 

THE  " MISSION APwY"   AND  ''OLD  SCHOOL"  BAPTISTS. 

1.  The  Regulah  Baptists,  who  are  also  called  "Missiojf- 

ary"  or  "Uxited"   Baptists,  a.^j)  the  Anti-Mission 
Baptists,  were  associated  together  as  One  People. 

2.  In  the  separation,  the  Hard-Shell,  or  Anti-Mission 

Baptists,    were   the    seceding    party,   which   with- 
drew   FROM    the    EeGULAR    BAPTISTS. 

3.  "Fro^i   tpie   Days   of   the   Apostles  to    the   Present 

Time,  the  True,  Legitimate  Baptist. Church  has  ever 
BEEN  A  Missionary  Body." 

4.  The  Churches  founded  by  Christ  and  the  Apostles 

WERE  Missionary  Churches. 

5.  The  Ancient  Regular  Baptists  were  in  favor  of  Min- 

isterial Education. 

Section  1. — The  regular  baptists  and  the  anti- 
mission  BAPTISTS  WERE  ONCE  ASSOCIATED  TO- 
GETHER AS   ONE    PEOPLE. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note,  that  no  well  informed  his- 
torian has  ever  attempted  to  locate  the  time,  place,  and 
manner  of  the  origin  of  the  Baptist  denomination  this 
side  of  Christ  and  the  apostles.  But  all  historians  can 
tell  the  year,  the  country,  and  the  manner  of  the  rise  of 
all  other  denominations. 

They  can  name  the  several  founders  of  these  sects,  but 
they  can  not  tell  the  origin  of  the  Baptists.  They  arc  by 
them  as  the  Pharisees  were  by  John's  baptism,  "  they  can 
not  tell.''  But  of  late  some  of  less  information,  or  candor, 
contend  that  the  ^^  Missionary  Baptists  "  broke  olf  from 


Once  One  (People.  23 

the  "Old  School/'  or  "Hard-Sheir^  Baptists,  about  thirty 
or  forty  years  ago.  And  the  Anti-Mission  brethren  even 
I'all  the  missionaries  the  "New  School  Baptists.'^  And 
some  even  tell  us  that  they  can  remember  very  well  when 
the  " Missionaries '^  started!  Now,  all  that  is  necessary 
in  order  to  settle  this  question  of  the  priority  of  the  Mis- 
sionary or  Anti-IIissionary  parties  among  Baptists,  is  to 
appeal  to  historic  facts  and  documents. 

It  may  surprise  some  when  they  are  informed,  that  no 
party  among  Baptists  were  ever  called  "Old  School'^ 
until  after  the  separation,  about  the  year  1832,  when  the 
Anti-Mission  brethren  assumed  the  name — "  Old  School 
Baptists.'' 

The  Regular  Baptists  and  the  Anti-Mission  Baptists 
were  once  together  as  one  peoptle;  and,  therefore,  their 
history  up  to  the  separation  was  the  same.  The  opposi- 
tion of  our  Anti-Mission  brethren  to  the  mission  work, 
and  kindred  objects,  is  a  new  feature  among  Baptists. 
There  are  some  of  the  so-called  "  Old  Baptists,"  who  have 
lapsed  into  Two-seedism  and  Non-resurrectionism ;  and 
have  thereby  denied  the  faith;  but  there  are  others  of 
them  who  still  possess,  in  their  church  organization,  the 
peculiar  features  of  true  Baptists. 

It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  such  of  the  Hard-Shell 
churches  as  have  not  denied  the  peculiarities  of  the  de- 
nomination, are  still  to  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  the  great 
Baptist  family.  Though  it  is  equally  evident  that  the 
most  of  them  have  impaired  their  usefulness  by  speculat- 
ing on  the  decrees  and  purposes  of  God  to  the  neglect  of 
faithful  ])rcacliing  to  sinners.  There  is  now  a  growing 
disposition  on  the  part  of  many  of  these  good  brethren,  to 
recede  from  some  extremes  in  their  manner  of  preaching. 


24        Missionary  and  Old  Scliool  (Baptists, 

and  co-operate  with  us  again  in  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 
And  we  fondly  hope  that  the  day  is  not  distant,  when  f^H 
prejudice  of  each  party  will  be  buried,  and  all  true  Bap« 
tists  will  stand  together  in  the  army  of  our  Master,  as  iu 
times  past.  But  in  following  up  the  Baptist  succession, 
justice  requires  the  correction  of  those  false  impressions 
which  locate  the  origin  of  the  "  Missionary  ^'  Baptists  with 
those  who  call  themselves  "  Old  Baptists." 


Section  II. — In  the  separation,  the  "  hard  shell" 

OR  ANTI-MISSION  BAPTISTS  WERE  THE  SECEDING 
PARTY,  WHICH  WITHDREW  FROM  THE  REGULAR 
BAPTISTS. 

This   secession,   upon   the   part   of   our  Anti-Mission 

brethren,  occurred  at  different  times  in  different  parts  of 

the  country.    In  Virginia,  the  separation  took  place  in  the 

year,  1832.     Elder  S.  Trott,  an  ^^Old  School  Baptist"  of 

distinction,  says  of  the  separation :  ^'  This  brought  brethren, 

churches  and  associations  that  had  been 
Rel.  Derwm.  in  U.  •  i        x i       i        i  />   i 

^  n  dC  B      87    gi'O^ii^i^g  under  the   burdens  oi    human 

inventions  and  impositions  in  religion, 
to  separate  themselves,  some  sooner  and  some  later,  from 
the  whole  mass  of  the  popular  religion  and  religionists, 
and  to  take  a  stand  as  a  distinct  people,  upon  the  Old 
Baptist  standard.  The  holding  of  the  Scriptures  as  the 
only  and  a  perfect  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  and  Christ  as 
the  Foundation,  the  Head,  and  the  Life  of  the  Church, 
the  only  source  and  medium  of  Salvation.  This  separa- 
tion occasioned  the  splitting  of  several  associations,  and 
many  churches.  We  took,  as  a  distinguishing  appellation, 
the  name,  ^  Old  School  Baptists.' "     Here  is  the  candid 


Hard=S hells  Secede. 


confession  of  a  lea<iing  Anti-]Mission  Baptist,  that  the 
brethren  now  claiming  to  be  "  Old  School  ^^  or  "  Primitive  " 
Baptists,  separated  themselves  from  the  body  of  the  de- 
nomination, and  took  a  stand  "  as  a  distinct  people  '^ ;  and 
at  that  time,  about  1832,  took  the  appellation  or  name, 
"Old  School  Baptists/'  Therefore,  according  to  Elder 
Trott,  there  was  no  body  of  Baptists  in  the  world  calling 
themselves  "Old  School,"  prior  to  the  year  1832. 

In  Tennessee  the  separation  occurred  later.  Dr.  John 
M.  Watson  says :  "  After  our  painful  separation  from  the 
Missionaries  in  1836,  a  number  of  churches, 

in  the  bounds  of  the  Old  Concord  Asso-    ^^^J^^'P^-  ^^^-^ 

p.  36. 
elation,  met  together  and  formed  the  Stone 

River  Association.  We  had  then,  as  was  generally  sup- 
posed, a  strong  and  happy  union ;  but,  alas !  there  was  an 
element  of  heresy  incorporated  in  that  body  as  bad,  if 
not  worse,  than  that  from  which  we  had  just  withdrawn.^' 
In  the  above,  Dr.  Watson  admits  that  the  "Old  Baptists" 
separated  or  withdrew  from  the  "Missionaries."  It  is  ad- 
mitted that,  in  some  cases,  the  Anti-Mission  brethren  had 
the  majority  in  churches,  and  even  in  some  associations; 
but  as  a  body  they  were  largely  in  the  minority  —  only 
a  fraction — wheii  the  separation  occurred.  Elder  Jeter 
says   of  these   Baptists:    "The   class   of 

Baptists  described  in  the  above  extract    ^^'^'PJ^'f^  ff- 

^   1    o  1  examined,  p.  33. 

were,  called,  m  some  places,  Old  School, 

and  in  others,  from  the  name  of  the  place  at  which  they 
held  their  seceding  convention — ^ Black  Rock' Baptists. 
They  separated  themselves  from  the  Regular  Baptists 
about  the  time  of  the  rise  of  Mr.  Campbell's  Reforma- 
tion." And  Elder  Bebe,  of  New  York,  the  Anti-Mission 
editor,  admits,  in  substance,  the  truth  of  the  above  posi- 


26        Missionary  and  Old  School  (Baptists. 

tion,  that  the  "  Old  School "  Baptists  seceded  or  withdre^v 
from  the  "  Missionary  "  Baptists.  Other  authorities  might 
be  adduced  in  confirmation  of  the  same.  It  has  already 
been  fully  shown,  that  in  the  separation  the  Anti-Mission 
Baptists  were  the  seceding  party. 


Section  III. —  "From  the  days  of  the  apostles  to 

,  ^      ^       „  THE    PRESENT    TIME,    THE    TRUE, 

^r  &"  ^^«'"''^'^^       BAPTIST       CHURCH 
HAS    EVER    BEEN    A    MISSIONARY 


This  declaration  of  Dr.  Howell  is  fully  sustained  by 
historic  facts.  The  opposition  among  Baptists  to  the 
mission  work,  is  of  recent  date.  But  our  Anti-Mission 
brethren  tell  us  that  they  are  not  opposed  to  Bible  mis- 
sions y  but  only  to  the  modern  missionary  system.  Actions 
speak  louder  than  words.  If  the  modern  Baptists,  who 
claim  to  be  the  "  Old  School "  or  "  Primitive  ^^  Baptists, 
have  ever  sent  out  a  missionary,  either  to  the  home  or  for- 
eign field,  I  have  not  been  informed  of  the  fact.  What 
"  Hard-Shell  ^^  church  has  ever  employed  a  missionary, 
upon  the  Bible  or  any  other  plan  ?  They  are  emphatic- 
ally Anti-Mission  Baptists. 

But  were  the  ancient  Baptists,  up  to  the  time  of  the 

separation.  Missionary  or  Anti- Missionary  f  In  his  Letters 

to  Dr.  Watson,  Dr.  Howell  says :  "  But  it  is  particularly 

to  the  fact,  that  the  Philadelphia  Asso- 

Lettei'sto  Dr.Wat-    ...          «                          v     j.                 x  i?    •!. 

^             ciation,  irom  our  earliest  account  oi   it, 

son,  p.  9.                        '                                              .  ' 

was  a  missionary  body,  that  I  wish  to  call 
your  attention.  To  place  this  beyond  dispute,  I  shall 
quote  a  few  items  from  the  official  records  of  that  body. 


Ancient  baptist  Missionaries.  27 

But  first,  if  you  please,  turn  to  Benedict's  History  of  the 
Baptists,  vol.  II,  p.  99,  etc.;  and  you  Avill  see  that  iu 
1753 — that  is,  eighty-four  years  ago — the  Philadelphia  As- 
sociation sent  Elder  John  Gano  as  a  missionary  to  the 
churches  in  North  Carolina,  which  were  soon  after  formed 
into  the  Kehukee  Association.  The  next  year,  1754,  the 
association  sent  two  other  missionaries  to  assist  him — 
Elders  Benjamin  Miller  and  Peter  P.  Vanhorn — by  the 
instrumentality  of  whose  united  labors  these  churches,  pre- 
viously deranged,  and  nearly  what  Campbellites  now  are, 
were  reclaimed  and  set  in  order,  and  many  sinners  were 
converted.  Yes,  my  brother,  even  the  Kehukee  Associ- 
ation, now  distinguished  for  its  bitterness  and  proscription 
of  missionaries,  was  collected  by  missionary  labor.''  In 
this  quotation  it  is  shown,  that  the  largest  and  most  influ- 
ential association  in  America,  the  Philadelphia,  was  a 
missionary  body,  and  that  the  Kehukee  Association  was 
formed,  as  the  fruits  of  the  labors  of  her  missionaries — 
eighty  years  prior  to  the  Hard-Shell  separation. 

We  are  informed  by  Benedict,  the  historian,  in  his 
chapter  on  Virginia,  that  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  that  State  was  organized  by  j^'  ^^V^9  ^^ 
Robert  Xordin,  a  missionary,  who  sailed 
from  England  in  1714.  His  brother  missionary,  Thomas 
White,  who  sailed  with  him,  died  before  they  reached 
America ;  but  Elder  Nor  din  Avas  joined,  a  few  years  after 
his  arrival,  by  two  other  missionary  preachers — Casper 
Mintz  and  Kichard  Jones — from  England,  wlio  aided  in 
planting  the  first  Baptist  churches  in  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina.  These  BajDtists  were  so  filled  with  the  mission- 
ary spirit  that  a  few  families,  which  moved  to  North  Car- 
olina, ^'  in  ten  years  became  sixteen  churches."     Thus,  in 


28^      Missionary  and  Old  School  (Baptists. 

examining  the  history  of  the  old  Baptists  of  America, 
more  than  one  hundred  years  before  the  Hard-Shell  sep- 
aration, we  find  that  these  old  Baptists  were  missionary 
Baptists. 

Again :  Dr.  Howell,  in  his  Letters  to  Dr.  Watson,  has 
furnished  us  with  the  following  valuable  account  of  the 
missionary  work  of  the  old  Baptists,  not  "  Hard-Shells," 
of   the   old    Charleston   Association :    "  The   Charleston 

Association,    honored    for   its   antiquity, 

Letters  to  Dr.  Wat-      •   ,        •    -   1 1  •  i        j.i     j 

-,r.  ^^         pisty,  intelligence,  and  orthodoxy,  was 

formed  the  21st  day  of  October,  1751i 
In  1755,  four  years  after  its  constitution,  and  eighty-two 
years  ago,  there  is  this  record  —  [Furman's  History  of 
the  Charleston  Association,  Charleston  edition  of  1811, 
pp.  10,  11,  etc.]  ;  ^The  Association,  taking  into  consid- 
eration the  destitute  condition  of  many  places  in  the  inte- 
rior settlements  of  this  and  the  neighboring  States  (then 
provinces),  recommended  to  the  churches  to  make  contri- 
butions for  the  support  of  a  missionary  to  itinerate  in 
those  parts.  Mr.  Hart  was  authorized  and  requested, 
provided  a  sufficient  sum  should  be  raised,  to  procure,  if 
possible,  a  suitable  person  for  the  purpose.  With  this 
view  he  visited  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  prevailed  with  Rev.  John  Gano  to  un- 
dertake the  service,  who  attended  the  annual  meeting,  and 
was  cordially  received.  The  association  requested  Mr. 
Gano  to  visit  the  Yadkin  first,  and  afterward  to  bestow 
his  labors  wherever  Providence  should  appear  to  direct. 
He  devoted  himself  to  the  work.  It  afforded  ample  scope 
for  his  distinguished  piety,  eloquence  and  fortitude ;  and 
his  ministrations  were  crowned  with  remarkable  success. 
Many  embraced  and  professed  the  Gospel.     The  following 


Ancient  (Baptist  Missionaries.  29 

year  he  received  from  the  association  a  letter  of  thanks 
for  his  faithfulness  and  industry  in  the  mission.'  "  Thus 
we  see,  that  the  old  Baptists  of  the  old  Charleston  Associ- 
ation were  3Iissionary  Baptists.  And  it  will  be  abund- 
antly proved  that  the  Anti-lVIission  brethren  are  the 
"iS'ew  School'^  Baptists.  We  again  call  the  attention 
of  the  reader  to  the  doings  of  the  Philadelphia  Associa- 
tion, which  is  the  oldest  and  most  influential  Association 
in  America.  This  association  was  organized  in  1707,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-three  years  ago,  and  has  continued  to 
the  present  time.  The  minutes  of  this  association  for  one 
hundred  years  are  preserved  in  book-form.  And  in  the 
minute  of  1766  w^e  have  the  following  record :   "  After 

prayer,  .it  was  moved  and   agreed :    that 

...  ,  n      ii  J      p  J.1        Phil.  Bapt.  Asso. 

it  is  most  necessary  lor  the  good  oi  the        q.,     ^ 

Baptists'    interest,    that    the    association 
have  at  their  disposal,  every  year,  a  sum  of  money.     Ac- 
cordingly, it  was  further  agreed  :  that  the  churches,  hence- 
forth, do  make  a  collection  every  quarter,  and  send  the 
same  yearly  to  the  association,  to  be  by  them  deposited 
in  the  hands  of  trustees;  the  interest  whereof  only  to  be 
by  them  laid  out  every  year  in  support  of  ministers  trav- 
eling on  the  errand  of  the  churches,  or  otherwise,  as  the 
necessities  of  said  churches  shall  require.''     And,  also,  in 
the  year  1794,  we  have  the  following  action  of  this  asso- 
ciation :   "  In  consequence  of  information  communicated 
to  the    association    by  Brother  William 
Rogers,  it  is  desired  that  all  donations  for        ^gg 
the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  among  the 
Hindoos  in  the  East  Indies,  be  forwarded  to  him. "'     And 
in  the  next  year  we  have  the  following :  "  Agreed,  that 
the   churches   be   advised   to  make   collections   for   the 


30        Missionary  and  Old  School  (Baptists. 

Phil  BapL  Asso.  missionaries  to  the  East  Indies,  and  for- 
f**  ^^'*  ward  the  same  to  Dr.  Rogers/^ 

The  character  of  this  body  is  set  forth  in  the  language 
of  H.  G.  Jones,  the  editor  of  these  minutes,  as  follows: 
^'  The  Philadelphia  Association,  from  the  first,  has  engaged 

earnestly  in  efforts  for  the  proper  education 
Phil  BapL  Asso.  ^^  .^^  ministers  and  the  spread  of  the  Gos- 
p.  5.  .  ^ 

pel  in  the  world.     Rhode  Island  College, 

now  Brown  University,  received  its  patronage  and  con- 
tributions from  its  origin,  as  the  subsequent  minutes  show. 
It  will  be  seen  also,  that,  from  the  first,  it  has  been  an 
effective  missionary  body.  Hundreds  of  churches  have 
been  gathered  by  the  able  and  self-denying  men,  sent  out 
at  its  expense  to  regions  where  no  religious  privileges  had 
before  been  enjoyed.  The  aborigines  were  not  overlooked 
in  this  labor  of  love.  Among  other  efforts,  the  Rev.  David 
Jones,  before  the  American  Revolution,  made  a  missionary 
excursion,  at  his  own  expense,  to  the  Indians  of  what  was 
then  the  'Far  West'.'' 

From  the  foregoing  reliable  documents,  and  others  which 
might  be  introduced,  it  is  fully  settled  that  the  American 
Baptists,  from  the  very  first  down  to  the  Hard-Shell  sep- 
aration, were  missionaries.  And,  instead  of  the  Anti- 
Mission  brethren  being  entitled  to  the  appellation,  '^  Okl 
Baptists,"  by  way  of  distinction,  they  are  "a  new  f angled 

set  of  Baptists,  never  lieard  of  untij  within 
Letters  to  Dr.  Wat-  ,^  ,  .  »      o     -x  •       ^,        i\ 

g^^       g  the  present  century.^     So  it  is  altogether 

a  misrepresentation,  to  call  the  Anti-Mis- 
sion brethren  Old  Baptists.  It  not  only  does  injustice  to 
the  Regular  Baptists  of  America,  but  it  also  tends  to  con- 
firm the  Anti-jNIission  brethren  in  their  opposition  to  the 
spread  of  the  Gospel,  through  missionary  labor. 


Ancient  (Baptist  Missionaries.  31 

In  regard  to  the  names  assumed  by  the  Anti-Mission 

brethren,  Mr.  Benedict  says :    "  Old  School  and  Primitive 

Baptists  are  ap]3ellations  so  entirely  out  of  place,  that  I 

can  not,  even  as  a  matter  of  courtesy,  use  them  without 

adding,  so-called,  or  some  such  expression. 

T  1  1       i?   xi  •     •  Sis.  Bapt.,  Ben., 

1  have  seen  so  much  oi    the   missionary        qq- 

spirit  among  the  old  Anabaptists,  Wal- 

denses,  and  other  ancient  sects ;  so  vigorous  and  perpetual 

were  the  efforts  of  those  Christians,  whom  we  claim  as 

Baptists,  in  the  early,  middle,  and  later  ages,  to  spread 

the  Gospel  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  among  all  nations  and 

languages  where  they  could  gain  access,  that  it  is  plain 

that  those  who  merely  preach  up  predestination,  and  do 

nothing,  have  no  claim  to  be  called  by  their  name.'^ 

But  were  our  denominational  ancestors  of  the  Old  World 

Anti-Mission  Baptists?     No.     The  Old  English  Baptists 

were  thorough  missionaries.     Mr.  Benedict  describes  their 

General  Association  as  follows:     "The  year  1689  was  a 

distinguished  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 

English  Baptists,  on  account  of  the  Gen-         '      ^  *'       '' 

eral  Assembly,  which  then  convened  in 

London  and  published  a  confession  of  faith,  which  was 

long  a  standard  work  among  them.     This  assembly  was 

composed  of  delegates  from  upward  of  a  hundred  [one 

hundred  and  seven]  congregations,  from  different  parts  of 

England  and  Wales.     They  met  Sept.  3d,  and  continued 

in  session  nine  days;  a  narrative  of  their  proceeding  was 

])ublished  soon  after."     One  item  of  business  transacted 

in  this  body  is  recorded  thus :    "  At  this  Convention  the 

denomination,  among  other  things,  resolved 

J.  •  r      1   r  •     •  Sis.  Bapt.,  Ben.. 

to  raise  a  luncl  tor  missionary  purposes,        r,on      /  i 

and  to  assist  feeble  churches ;  also  for  the 


32       Missionary  and  Old  School  (Baptists. 

purpose  of  ministerial  education. — Rippori's  Register  for 
1796.^'  This  was  an  association  of  Particular  Baptists, 
which  met  one  hundred  and  forty-three  years  before  the 
Hard-Shell  withdrawal.  And  they  raised  funds  for  mis" 
sionary  purposes  and  ministerial  education ;  therefore,  they 
were  not  Anti-Mission  Baptists.  So,  these  Old  English 
and  Welsh  Baptists  were  "  Missionary  ^^  Baptists.  But, 
again,  all  admit  that  the  Old  Welsh  Baptists  were  as  true 
to  the  cause  of  Christ  as  any  others.  Were  they  Anti- 
Mission  Baptists  ?  No.  For  several  centuries  the  Welsh 
Baptists  had  been  prevented  by  cruel  persecutions  from 
meeting  in  large  bodies  or  associations,  and  carrying  out 
their  plans  of  united  efforts  in  the  mission  work;  but  as 
soon  as  an  opportunity  was  offered,  they  met  again  in  an 
associational  capacity.  Davis,  in  his  History,  gives  the 
following  account  of  the  association  which  met  at  Aber- 
gavenny in  1653,  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  years  be- 
fore the  Hard-Shell  secession :     "  In  the  association  held 

at  Swansea,  1654,  the  Church  at  Llantri- 
^^^^'\  J^  ^^^^%^   saint  proposed  to  assist  the  Church  at  Ab- 

ergavenny,  now  Llanwenarth,.to  support 
their  minister;  which  also  they  did.  From  the  messen- 
gers of  Llantrisaint,  also,  the  proposal  to  revive  the  ancient 
order  of  things,  came  the  preceding  year;  that  is,  to  en- 
courage and  support  the  missionary  cause.  Let  our  breth- 
ren in  the  New  World  look  and  stare  at  this,  especially 
our  Anti-Missionary  friends!  Be  it  known  unto  them, 
that  in  the  year  1653,  in  the  Welsh  Association  held  at 
Abergavenny,  county  of  Monmouth,  South  Wales,  collec* 
tions  were  made,  when  the  Y/elsh  Church  subscribed  to 
raise  a  fund  for  missionary  purposes.  Their  plan  Avas,  for 
the  messengers  of  every  church  to  mention  a  certain  sum, 


Apostolic  Churches  Missionary.  33 

and  bind  themselves  to  bring  that  sum  with  them  to  the 
next  association.  For  instance,  Swansea,  £5;  Llantri- 
saint,  £2  10s.;  Carmarthen,  £2  10s.  No  one  was  com- 
pelled to  give  anything ;  neither  was  any  messenger  ever 
blamed  for  making  such  arrangements,  but  was  cheerfully 
assisted  by  his  brethren  to  fulfill  them.^^ 

We  have  not  only  found  that  the  early  American  Bap- 
tists were  missionaries,  but  the  English  and  Welsh  Bap- 
tists, from  whom  they  sprang,  were  missionaries  also. 

The  ancient  order  of  things  with  them  was  to  encourage 
and  support  the  missionary  cause.  We  may  consider  it  a 
point  established,  that  the  old  English  and  Welsh  Bap- 
tists were  missionaries.  But  where  did  the  missionary 
system  originate  ?  Mr.  Benedict  says  :  "  The  further 
down  I  go  into  the  regions  of  antiquity, 
the  more  fully  is  the  missionary  character  ^qo-^'^^ ''  ^^"' 
of  all  whom  we  denominate  our  senti- 
•mental  brethren,  developed.^^  It  would  be  a  work  of 
supererogation  to  introduce  further  historic  evidence  to 
prove,  that/ro??i  the  days  of  the  apostles  to  the  jDresent  time, 
the  true,  legitimate  Baptist  Church  has  ever  been  a  mis- 
sionary body. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  no  one  professing  intelligence  will, 
in  the  future,  so  far  betray  his  ignorance,  or  malice,  as  to 
affirm  that  the  "  ^lissionary  ^'  Baptists  originated  with  the 
"  Old  SchooP^  Baptists,  between  thirty  and  forty  years  ago. 


Section  IY. — The   churches  founded  by  christ 

AND  the  apostles  WERE   MISSIONARY  CHURCHES. 

Jesus  Christ,  the  Head  and  LaAvgiver,  was  the  Sent  or 
Missionary  of  the  Father,  on  a  mission  of  mercy  to  a  lost 


34       Missionary  and  Old  School  (Baptists. 

world.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Missionary  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  sent  to  comfort  the  disciples  and  to  reprove 
sinners,  etc. 

The  twelve  apostles  were  missionaries,  sent  by  Jesus 
Christ  to  publish  salvation  to  sinners.  Their  missionary 
field  was  at  first  limited  to  the  land  of  Judea,  but  after 
the  enlargement  of  the  commission,  the  field  is  the  world. 
The  commission  was  not  given  to  the  disciples  in  their 
apostolic  character.  If  this  were  the  case,  the  authority 
of  the  commission  ceased  with  the  apostolic  office.  Neither 
was  it  given  to  them  in  their  ministerial  character  only; 
for,  if  this  were  the  case,  all  ordinations  by  church  author- 
ity would  be  mere  assumption ;  and  the  ministry  would 
have  no  necessary  connection  with,  or  dependence  on,  the 
churches.  But  the  commission  was  given  to  them  in  their 
church  capacity ;  and,  consequently,  it  remains  with  the 
churches  to  this  day.  While  the  Savior  was  with  his  dis- 
ciples, in  person,  he  retained  in  his  own  hands  all  author- 
ity in  his  kingdom.  But,  before  his  ascension  to  the 
Father,  he  clothed  his  church  with  the  executive  authority 
in  his  kingdom.  So  that,  not  even  an  inspired  apostle,  or 
all  of  them  together,  ever  attempted  to  perform  a  church 
act,  except  as  ministers  or  servants  of  the  churches.  The 
apostles  did  not  presume  to  appoint  a  successor  to  fill  the 
vacancy  occasioned  by  the  fall  of  Judas,  but  this  was  done 
by  the  church,  composed  of  men  and  women.  But,  did 
this  Jerusalem  church,  established  by  Christ  himself,  send 
out  missionaries  ?     Yes ;   for  it  is  said  in  Acts :  "  Then 

^^     tidings  of  these  things  came  unto  the  ears  of 
A.cts   11  *    22 

the  church  which  was  at  Jerusalem  :    and 

they  sent  forth  Barnabas,  that  he  should  go  as  far  as  An- 

tioch."     Yes ;  this  model  church  sent  out  a  missionary  to 


Apostolic  Churches  Missionary.  35 

a  heathen  city  to  preach  the  Gospel.  This  was  a  foreign 
mission.  Thus,  we  have  seen  that  the  church  organized 
by  the  personal  ministry  of  Christ,  was  a  missionary 
church ;  for  she  sent  forth  Barnabas  to  Antioch  to  preach 
the  Gospel.  And  this  Church  at  Antioch,  gathered  by 
missionary  labor,  sent  out  Barnabas  and  Paul,  on  a  mis- 
sion to  the  heathen.  This  is  recorded  thus :  "  And  when 
they  had  fiisted  and  prayed,  and  laid  their  10.04 

hands  on  them,  they  sent  them  away.     So, 
they  being  sent  forth  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  departed  unto 
Selucia  :   and  from  thence  they  sailed  to  Cyprus,  ^^    .  And 
after  these  eminent  missionaries  had  preached  the  Gospel 
successfully  to  many  heathen  cities,  they  returned  to  the 
same  church  and  made  a  report  of  their  labors  and  suc- 
cess in  their  mission,  which  is  thus  recorded  :  "  And  when 
they  were  come,  and  had  gathered  the  church 
together,  they  rehearsed  all  that  God  had 
done  with  them,  and  how  he  had  opened  the  door  of  faith 
unto  the  Gentiles.'^     We  have  now  discovered  that  the 
churches    at   Jerusalem   and   Antioch   were   missionary 
churches.  And  of  a  certain  brother,  Paul  said  :  "  And  we 
have  sent  with  him  [Titus]  the  brother, 
whose  praise  is  in  the  Gospel  throughout  Vj-  *•     ' 

all  the  churches;  and  not  that  only,  but  who  was  also 
chosen  of  the  churches  to  travel  with  us,^'  etc.  This  brother 
was  chosen  of  the  churches  and  sent  on  a  mission;  and 
these  brethren  were  called  "messengers  of  the  churches." 
As  we  have  shown  that  the  model  Church  at  Jerusalem, 
and  some  of  the  churches  planted  by  the  apostles,  were 
missionary,  it  is  evident  that  all  those  churches  were 
of  the  same  character,  from  the  fact  that  they  were  or- 
ganized under  the  direction  of  the  Spirit.     And,  in  re- 


36       Missionary  and  Old  School  (Baptists. 

gard  to  tlie  support  of  these  missionaries,  Paul  said, 
"  Even  so  hath  the  Lord  ordained  that  they 
which  preach  the  Gospel  should  live  of  the 
Gospel.'^  Here  is  the  foreordination  and  decree  of  God 
for  the  support  of  the  ministry.  And  more  —  the  apos- 
tle Paul  ventured  to  take  ivages  for  his  support  in  the 

^  ^  ^     missionary  work.    He  said,  "  I  robbed  other 

2  Cor.  11:  8.       ,        i        ^  t  /^^  ^      i 

churches,  taking  wages  oi  tnem,  to  do  you 

service."  But  if  a  modern  missionary  should  do  the 
same  thing,  it  would  be  considered,  by  some  of  our  anti- 
brethren,  a  very  high  crime.  The  great  ado  made  by  our 
brethren  concerning  missionary  boards,  and  the  manner  of 
raising  means  for  the  support  of  our  missionaries,  appears 
to  me  to  be  altogether  puerile.  The  emphatic  command 
of  Jesus  Christ  to  his  missionaries,  is,  to  go  and  jireach 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  The  minister  can  frame  no 
excuse  for  the  neo-lect  of  this  uro^ent  command.  But  for 
a  bitter  controversy  to  arise  about  the  mode  of  travel, 
whether  the  missionary  should  go  on  foot,  as  did  Christ 
and  some  of  the  apostles;  on  horse-back,  in  a  carriage, 
or  by  ship,  would  amount  to  the  supreme  of  the  ridicu- 
lous. And  of  the  same  nature,  to  my  mind,  is  the  mod- 
ern comlbversy  about  the  means  of  sending  funds  to  the 
missionaries  in  the  field.  We  regard  it  as  of  very  small 
moment  whether  the  "wages"  for  missionary  support  be 
the  fruit  of  individual  donations,  whether  in  or  out  of  the 
church,  or  of  the  liberality  of  one  or  many  churches ;  and, 
whether  these  icages  be  sent  to  him  by  a  messenger  ap- 
pointed by  one  church  or  many,  or  whether  these  v/'ages 
are  collected  and  forwarded  by  a  missionary  board  ap- 
pointed for  that  purpose,  is  of  small  consequence.  These 
matters  do  not  enter  into  church  orQ:anization,  but  they 


Ministerial  Education — Ancient  (Baptists.     37 

iire  2)ccuniary  transactions  left  to  the  taste  or  convenience 
of  tiie  brethren,  so  that  all  things  are  done  honestly  in 
the  fear  of  God. 

To  my  mind  it  would  be  just  as  suitable  for  the  Anti- 
Mission  brethren  to  contend  that  no  missionary  should 
ride  on  horse-back,  because  the  Saviour  rode  an  ass ;  or, 
that  no  Christian  has  a  right  to  travel  by  rail,  because 
neither  Christ  nor  the  apostles  traveled  in  this  way !  I 
would  not  undervalue,  in  the  least,  any  law  or  command 
of  Jesus  Christ,  but  would  urge  strict  obedience  to  all  the 
requisitions  of  Keaven.  And  I  consider  it  a  positive 
command,  resting  on  the  churches  of  Christ,  to  execute  the 
commission  to  'preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  This 
they  must  do  to  the  extent  of  their  ability,  through  their 
servants,  the  ministry;  otherwise  they  are  guilty  before 
God,  of  disobedience  to  a  positive  command  of  our  Sa- 
vior. 


Section  Y. — The    ancient  regular   baptists    in 

FAVOR  OF  ministerial  EDUCATION. 

Baptists  freely  admit,  "  That  not  many  wise  m^i  after 
the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble       /^^     ,,  ^ 
are  called.'^     But,  at  the  same  time,  they 
hold,  with  Paul,  that  the  minister  of  Christ  should  "study 
to  show^^  himself  "approved  unto  God,  a 
workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed, 
rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth. '^ 

The  Regular  Baptists  of  America,  from  whom  the 
Anti-Mission  brethren  seceded,  were  in  favor  of  minis- 
terial education  from  the  very  first. 

This  fact  is  fully  settled  by  reference  to  the  Minutes  of 


38       Missionary  and  Old  School  (Baptists. 

the  Philadelphia  Association,  which  was  the  representa- 
tive of  Baptist  practice  on  this  continent  for  many  years. 
In  the  Minutes  of  1722,  more  than  a  hundred  years  be- 
fore the  Hard-Shell  separation,  we  have  the  following 
record  of  the  action  of  this  association :  ^^  It  was  pro- 
posed for  the  churches  to  make  inquiry 
Phil.  Bapt  Asso.  .i  i  •  p  ,1        i 

,^_      ^  among  themselves,  it  they  have  any  youug 

persons  hopeful  for  the  ministry,  and  in- 
clinable for  learning;  and  if  they  have,  to  give  notice  of 
it  to  Mr.  Able  Morgan  before  the  1st  of  November,  that 
he  might  recommend  such  to  the  Academy  on  ^Ir.  Hollis, 
his  account."  And  some  time  after  this  the  Rhode  Island 
College,  now  Brown  University,  was  established  under 
the  patronage  of  the  association,  for  the  education  of 
young  Baptist  ministers.     And  in  the  year  1769,  "All 

^, .,   ,  ^^    the  ministers  of  this  association  have  ex- 

P/uZ.  JLsso.  p.  109.  ,  , 

plicitly  engaged   to  exert  themselves   m 

endeavoring  to  raise  more  for  the  same  purpose  " ;  ^.  e.,  for 

the  education  of  young  ministers. 

Again,  in  the  Minutes  of  1789,  we  have  the  following : 
"  After  conferring  upon  the  necessity  and 

"ir  ^^-*  ^^^'  ii^iportance  of  raising  a  fund  for  the  edu- 
cation of  pious  and  promising  young  men 
for  the  ministry,  we,  the  members  present,  do  engage  to 
promote  subscriptions  in  our  respective  churches  and  con- 
gregations, for  said  purpose ;  and  to  bring  in  the  monies 
raised,  with  the  subscription  papers,  to  the  next  associa- 
tion, to  be  at  their  disposal.'^ 

The  question  is  now  settled ;  the  real  Old  Baptists  of 
America  were  hearty  in  the  support  of  ministerial  educa- 
ion. 

The  opposition  among  Baptists  to  the  education  of  the 


Ministerial  Education — Ancient  (Baptists.     39 

ministry  is  a  modern  development.  By  an  examination 
of  the  Minutes  it  will  be  seen  that  "  The  Philadelphia  As- 
sociation, from  the  first,  has  enarao^ed  earn-  ^, .,  , 
estly  m  enorts  lor  the  proper  education  oi 
its  ministers  and  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  in  the  world, 
Rhode  Island  College,  now  Brown  University,  received 
its  patronage  and  contributions,  from  its  origin,  as  the 
subsequent  Minutes  show/'  Among  English  Baptists, 
Bristol  College  was  established,  by  the  liberality  of  Mr. 
Terrill,  under  the  patronage  of  Broad  Mead  Church. 
This  Baptist  College  went  into  operation 

in  the  year  1710,  more  than  a  hundred     J^  /^''^^"^mn 
...         ...  Bapt.,  p.  409. 

years  before  the  Anti-Mission  division.     A 

vast  number  of  ministers  have  been  educated  in  this  col- 
lege, several  of  whom  emigrated  to  America  and  aided 
in  planting  our  early  churches.  And  also,  in  the  General 
Association  of  Baptists,  which  convened  in  London  in 
1689,  it  was  "resolved  to  raise  a  fund  for 

missionary  T3urposes,  and  to  assist  feeble       ^^'     ^' ,  -f^^ '' 
1        1  1        ^      A  ^      •    •        p.  336,  no^el. 

cliurches;  also,  lor  the  purpose  oi  minis- 
terial education.'' 

Thus  the  question  is  made  out,  that  the  real  old  English 
Baptists  were  in  favor  of  ministerial  education.  But  the 
question  may  still  be  asked — Were  the  Dutch  Baptists 
in  favor  of  ministerial  education?  Of  them  Mr.  Cramp 
remarks : 

"  During  their  troubles,  it  was  impossible  to  carry  into 
effect  any  educational  plans.     AVhen  peace 
was  restored,  the  desirableness  of  securing     J..^^^^^       ^^  ' 
an  educated  ministry  became  a  matter  of 
earnest  consideration.     Sound  views  were  entertained,  and 


40       Missionary  and  Old  School  ^Baptists. 


a  college  was  established  at  Amsterdam,  which  has  proved 
a  great  blessing  to  the  denomination." 

This  college  was  established  by  the  Dutch  Baptists 
about  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  before  the  Hard-Shell  opposition  to 
ministerial  education. 

The  ancient  Baptists  were  not  only  favorable  to  the  edu- 
cation of  ministers,  but  they  also  favored  the  education  of 
the  masses.  Robinson  gives  an  account  of  a  Baptist  female 
school,  in  Bohemia,  in  the  time  of  the  reign  of  Uladislaus 
II.,  as  follows: 

^^  They  kept  a  school  for  young  ladies,  and  their  mode 
of  education  and  the  purity  of  their  man- 
^  ^^^  '  ■'  ners  w^ere  in  such  high  repute,  that  the 
daughters  of  a  very  great  part  of  the  no- 
bility of  Bohemia  were  sent  thither  to  be  educated;  and 
their  bitterest  enemies  say,  they  kept  the  young  ladies 
from  the  company  of  the  other  sex,  and  formed  their 
manners  with  so  much  innocence,  that  there  was  nothing 
reprehensible  except  the  one  single  article  of  heresy." 

Here  we  have  the  account  of  a  Baptist  female  school 
hundreds  of  years  before  the  "  Hard-Shell "  opposition  to 
education.  The  ancient  Waldensian  Baptists  were  also 
in  favor  of  education.     Perrin  says : 

"In  the  year  1229,  the  Waldenses  had  already  spread 

themselves  in  great  numbers  throughout 

ei  rin  s      is  ory    ^^i  Italy.     They  had  ten  schools  in  Yal- 

i  '  camonica  alone,  and  they  sent  money  from 

all  parts  of  their  abode  in  Lombardy,  for  the  maintenance 

and  support  of  said  schools."     So  the  ancient  Waldenses 

were  not  "Hard-Shells"  on  the  school  question.     They 

supported  denominational  schools  in  the  year  1229,  more 


Feinale  Education.  4;i 

than  six  hundred  years  before  the  "Hard-Shell"  separa- 
tion. So  it  may  be  set  down  as  a  settled  point,  that  on 
the  questions  of  7nissions  and  education,  our  Anti-Mission 
brethren  are  the  New  School  Baptists. 


42  American  (Baptists, 


CHAPTER    III. 

AMERICAN  BAPTISTS. 

1.  RoGEE,  Williams  was  neyePv  a  Member  of  a  true,  legit- 

imate Baptist  Church. 

2.  The  Newport,  and  kot  the  present  Providence  First 

Church,  the  oldest  Baptist  Church  in  America. 

3.  No  present  Baptist  Church  or  Minister  has  Baptism 

BY  Succession  from  Roger  Williams. 

4.  Baptist  Ministers  from  Europe  who  aided  in  Planting 

the  early  american  churches. 

Section  I. —  Eoger  Williams  was  never  a  member 

OF  A  TRUE,  legitimate   BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

While  the  Baptists  are  peculiar  in  every  leading  fea- 
ture in  their  church  organization,  they  are  equally  so  in 
regard  to  their  history.  The  church  succession  of  all 
other  denominations  is  interrupted  by  a  human  origin  of 
recent  date,  or  merged  into  the  succession  of  the  Komish 
apostacy ;  but  the  Baptists  claim  a  succession  independent 
of  Rome,  or  any  other  worldly  establishment,  directly  up 
to  the  time  of  Christ  on  earth.  The  false  representation, 
that  the  "  Missionary  ^'  Baptists  originated  with  the  ''  Old 
SchooP^  or  Anti-Mission  Baptists,  has  been  fully  met  in 
the  last  chapter.  And  our  succession,  as  Eegular  or  Mis- 
sionary Baptists,  carries  us  beyond  the  "Hard-ShelP' 
separation.  And  our  succession,  reaching  back  to  the  time 
of  the  settlement  of  the  American  colonies,  is  undisputed. 
In  following  up  our  history,  during  this  period  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  years,  many  have  been  the  trials  and 


(koger  Williams  not  fully  a  (Baptist.  43 

persecutions  to  which  our  brethren  have  been  subjected. 
^Ve  find  them  in  Virginia  and  Massachusetts,  suffering 
reproaches,  fines,  banishments,  imprisonments  and  whip- 
ping, for  their  unwavering  attachment  to  Baptist  prin- 
ciples. Baptists  have,  in  every  age,  been  the  firm  sup- 
porters of  civil  as  well  as  religious  liberty.  Therefore,  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  they  stood  with  Washington,  in 
defense  of  American  liberty,  against  the  British  yoke. 
And,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  American  liberty  owey 
its  existence  to  Baptist  influence. 

But  in  following  up  the  Baptist  succession,  we  are  again 
met  by  the  stereotyped  charge,  that  the  American  Bap- 
tists all  sprang  from  Roger  Williams,  and  their  baptisms 
from  his  informal  baptism;  and  consequently  their  chain 
of  succession  is  broken.  And  this  charge,  that  Roger  Wil- 
liams is  the  father  and  founder  of  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion in  America,  is  attempted  to  be  sustained  by  the  state- 
ment of  Mr.  Benedict,  as  follows:  "In  1639,  he  [Roger 
Williams]  was  baptized  by  Ezekiel  Holli- 
man,  a  layman  who  was  appointed  by  the  ^^^  ^^'  ^^  '' 
little  company  for  the  purpose ;  then  he  bap- 
tized the  rest  of  the  company,  and  thus  laid  the  foundation 
for  the  first  Baptist  church  in  Providence,  and  on  the 
American  continent.^' 

Now,  if  there  was  no  uncertainty  concerning  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  above  statement,  it  would  prove  nothing 
in  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  Baptist  churches  of  Amer- 
ica. It  would  be  entirely  gratuitous  to  infer  that  all  the 
churches  on  the  continent  sprang  from  this,  even  if  it 
had  been  the  first  church  organized  in  America.  Many 
churches  have  been  organized  from  which  no  other  churches 
have  originated.     But  Mr.  Benedict  himself  w^as  confused 


44  American  (Baptists. 

and  unsettled  in  regard  to  the  Iloger  Williams  affair.     And 
after  writing  the  above,  he  makes  the  following  remarks : 
*''The  more  I  study  on  this  subject,  the  more  I  am  unset- 
tled and  confused.     As  to  his  retiring  soon 

^4 4Q  ^'  ""^  *'  froi^  the  pastoral  office,  there  can  be  no 
dispute;  but  whether  this  was  on  account 
of  the  burden  of  public  duties,  or  from  embarrassments  in 
his  feelings,  is  a  point  by  no  means  clear.  ^  ^  *  It 
has  been  said  that  he  joined  with  the  Seekers — because 
dissatisfied  with  all  church  organizations,  with  his  lay- 
baptism,  etc. —  and  waited  for  the  revival  of  a  new  and 
apostolical  order  of  things.'^ 

The  fact  that  Benedict  was,  in  mind,  "unsettled  and 
confused "  in  regard  to  the  Roger  Williams  affair,  renders 
his  testimony  on  this  subject  of  but  little  value.  ISTo  man 
can  speak  or  write  clearly  and  definitely  upon  a  subject 
about  which  he  is  "unsettled  and  confused.'^  I  would 
not  impeach  the  veracity  of  Mr.  Benedict  as  a  historian ; 
but  I  only  propose  to  introduce,  from  other  historians,  the 
facts  necessary  to  settle  the  points  upon  which  he  was 
unsettled.  And,  by  way  of  settling  these  points,  we  will 
now  proceed  to  show  that  Roger  Williams  was  never  a 
member  J  much  less  the  founder ,  of  a  true,  legitimate  Baptist 
Church.  On  this  subject,  Mr.  Backus,  the  historian,  says : 
"Mr.  Williams  had  been  accused  before  of  embracing 
principles  which  tended  to  Anabaptism; 

ac.?<s,    I.     IS.,    ^^^  ^^  March,  1639,  he  was  baptized  by 

one  of  his  brethren,  and  then  he  baptized 
about  ten  more.  But  in  July  following,  such  scruples 
were  raised  in  his  mind  about  it,  that  he  refrained  from 
such  administrations  among  them.  Mr.  Williams  dis- 
covers in  his  writing,  that  as  sacrifices  and  other  acts  of 


(koger  Williams  not  fully  a  (Baptist.  45 

worship  were  omitted  by  the  people  of  God,  while  his 
temple  lay  in  ruins;  and  that  they  were  restored  again  by 
immediate  direction  from  Heaven,  so  that  some  such  di- 
rection was  necessary  to  restore  the  ordinances  of  baj)tism 
and  the  supper,  since  the  desolation  of  the  church  in  mys- 
tical Babylon.^' 

We  here  learn  from  Mr.  Backus  that,  within  four  months 
after  his  baptism,  Mr.  Williams  retired  from  his  position  as 
pastor  of  his  society,  and  renounced  his  own  baptism  as 
invalid,  and  waited  for  the  ordinances  of  baptism  and  the 
supper  to  be  restored  by  immediate  direction  from  Heaven. 
And  as  he  rejected  the  church  ordinances,  which  are 
essential  to  church  existence,  he  therefore  rejected  all 
claims  for  his  society  to  be  a  Church  of  Christ.  And,  as 
he  thus  repudiated  the  claims  of  his  society  to  be  a  church 
at  all,  he  thereby  rejected  all  claims  to  have  been  a  church 
member.  The  question  may  be  asked,  "  What  is  the  cause 
of  the  confusion  concerning  the  history  of  the  Providence 
church  ?  ^^ 

The  answer  is  found  in  the  history  of  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  America,  by  S.  Adlam,  from  which  I  make  sev- 
eral quotations.  Mr.  Adlam  says  :  ^^  The 
church  at  Providence  never  has  had  any  First  Bapt.  Chin 
creed  or  any  covenant;  till  the  year  1700 
it  had  no  meeting-house,  but,  in  fine  weather,  worshiped 
in  a  grove,  and,  when  inclement,  in  private  houses.  Not 
till  the  year  1775,  had  it  any  regular  records.  Can  w^e 
be  surprised  that,  in  tracing  the  history  of  such  a  body, 
a  hundred  years  after  its  origin,  unless  ancient  writers  are 
carefully  studied,  that  material  errors  will  be  made  ?  "  It 
thus  appears  that  the  first  church  in  Providence  had  no 
written  records  for  more  than  a  hundred  years  after  its 


46  Artier ic an  baptists. 

orgauization.  And  it  will  also  appear  that  the  compiler 
of  these  records  was  incompetent  to  the  task,  from  the 
fact  that  he  made  several  gross  errors  in  regard  to  known 
facts.  As  an  example  of  his  blunders,  Mr.  Adlam  in- 
serts, from  the  Church  Records,  the  following;  "^Rev. 

Thomas  Olney  succeeded  (Gregory  Dex- 
FirstBapt.Ch.in  ^^^^  to  the,  pastoral  office.  He  was  born 
2j'  28  '   ^*  Hertford,  in  England,  about  the  year 

1631,  and  came  to  America  in  1654;  but 
when  baptized  or  ordained,  is  not  known.  He  was  the 
Chief  who  made  a  division  about  the  laying  on  of  hands. 
He  and  others  withdrew,  and  formed  a  separate  church, 
but  it  continued  only  a  short  time.  He  died  June  11, 
1722,  and  was  buried  in  his  own  field.^  Difficult  w^ould 
it  be,  in  the  same  amount  of  language,  to  find  so  much 
misconception  and  error  as  here.  Never  should  Thomas 
Olney,  to  whom  justice  has  not  yet  been  done,  have  been 
spoken  of  thus.  The  writer,  doubtless,  intended  to  be 
correct ;  but  so  little  did  he  know  of  history,  that  he  con- 
founded two  individuals,  probably  father  and  son,  to- 
gether. If  he  alludes  to  the  son,  then  it  was  not  in  his, 
but  in  his  father^s  day  that  the  division  occurred.  If  he 
alludes  to  the  father,  then  he  died,  not  in  1722,  but  forty 
years  before — in  1682.  This  confusion  of  persons  and 
dates,  would  invalidate  any  testimony.  But  this  is  not 
all.  Olney  is  placed  as  the  successor  of  Brown,  Wicken- 
den,  and  Dexter.  In  the  ministry,  he  preceded  them  all, 
and  never  was  pastor  of  the  church  which  they  set  up. 
The  records  say  that  he  was  the  Chief  who  made  the  di- 
vision, and  that  he,  and  others  with  him,  withdrew  and 
formed  a  separate  church.  It  w^asWickenden  and  his  asso- 
ciates that  went  off;  and  even  Dr.  Hague  says,  ^  it  was 


^oger  Willia^ns  not  fully  a  ^Baptist.  47 

they  who  formed  the  separate  church.^  The  records  say 
that  he  came  to  Providence  in  1654;  he  was  town  treas- 
urer of  that  place  in  1639. 

But  I  forbear.  It  may  be  said  that  the  records  speak 
not  of  the  father,  but  of  the  son.  Then  where  is  the  ev- 
idence that  the  Olney  who  died  in  1722,  was  pastor  of 
Wickenden^s  church  after  Dexter's  death ;  that  he  made 
a  division  about  laying  on  of  hands ;  that  he  withdrew 
and  formed  a  separate  church  ?  Is  there  a  single  ancient 
writer  that  has  recorded  it,  or  alluded  to  it  ?  And  if  the 
son  be  alluded  to,  where,  in  giving  an  account  of  Baptist 
ministers  in  Providence,  is  the  father  alluded  to — that  an- 
cient man  in  whose  day  a  division  did  take  place ;  and 
vvho  saw,  in  1662,  his  church  receive  such  a  wound,  that, 
after  sixty  years'  struggling  for  existence,  it  at  last  ex- 
pired ?  Look,  also,  at  Chad.  Browne ;  he  is  made  pastor 
of  the  church  ten  years  before  it  began  to  exist !  But  I 
will  pursue  this  subject  no  further.  What  is  the  value  of 
records  like  these  ?  And  yet  it  is  by  these  records,  and 
documents  like  them,  that  the  Providence  church  carries 
date  back  to  1639,  claims  to  be  the  first  in  the  State,  and 
the  oldest  of  the  Baptists  in  America.^^ 

It  is  of  these  imperfect  Church  Eecords,  compiled  by 
John  Standford  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  years  after 
the  formation  of  the  Eoger  Williams  Society,  that  Mr. 
Benedict  says :  "  The  author,  Messrs.  Knowles,  Hague, 
and  all  historians  since,  have  been  in- 
debted to  them  for  the  few  details  which         '  ^  ^  ''    '  "' 

p.  4o/. 

have  been  preserved  of  the  doings  of  this 
ancient  community.''     And,  in  a  foot-note,  Mr.  Benedict 
further  remarks  :  ^^  My  present  historical  details  are  taken 
partly  from  my  first  volume,  and  partly  from  Hague's 


48  American  (Baptists. 

Historical  Discourse,  delivered  in  1839,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  two  hundred  years  from  the  found- 
ms.^BapL, Ben.,    .^^^  ^^  ^^^^  churcli.     But  the  Church  Rec- 
ords are  the  only  source  of  information 
to  us  all/' 

It  is  here  shown,  by  Mr.  Benedict,  that  all  the  histo- 
rians who  make  the  present  first  church  of  Providence 
the  Roger  Williams  church,  depend  alone  upon  the  Church 
Records,  compiled  by  Mr.  Stanford,  for  all  their  informa- 
tion concerning  this  church.  But  Mr.  Adlam  has  shown, 
from  the  records  themselves,  that  they  are  not  to  be  relied 
on,  because  of  the  numerous  contradictions  of  known  his- 
toric facts.  And  as  w^e  have  already  shown,  Mr.  Bene- 
dict was  unsettled  and  confused  concerning  Roger  Wil- 
liams and  the  Providence  church.  And  that  Mr.  Bene- 
dict's mind  was  not  clear  concerning  the  history  of  Roger 
Williams,  is  seen  in  the  follovving :  "  And  what  but  the 
strength  of  prejudice  could  lead  to  such 
\aa'^^  '  ^'^''  untiring  eiiorts  as  have  been  put  forth  for 
ahnost  two  centuries  past,  to  manufacture 
capital  against  the  denomination  from  the  obscure  or 
apochryphal  history  of  this  solitary  man  ?  " 

Full  enough  has  been  produced  to  show  that  the  con- 
fusion and  obscurity  in  the  mind  of  Benedict  and  others, 
was  produced  by  the  confused  and  obscure  records  of  the 
old  Providence  church.  But  developments  have  been 
made  which  are  amply  sufficient  to  settle  those  points 
which  were  so  difficult  to  Mr.  Benedict. 

It  has  already  been  seen,  from  Mr.  Backus,  that  Roger 
Williams  repudiated  his  baptism  and  church  relationship 
in  four  months  after  the  organization  of  his  society.  We 
will  now  proceed  to  show  that  his  society  also  disbanded, 


(Roger  Williams  not  fully  a  baptist.         49 

or  came  to  nothings  in  about  four  months  after  its  forma- 
tion. 

In  regard  to  the  Roger  Williams  Society,  Cotton  Mather, 
a  Puritan  Pedobaptist,  says  :  "  One  Roger  Williams,  a 
preacher,  who  arrived  in  New  England 
about  the  year  1630,  was  first  an  assistant  ^''-  ^^%^''  ^J'^'' 
in  the  church  of  Salem,  and  afterward 
pastor.  This  man — a  difference  happening  between  the 
Government  and  him — caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and 
vexation.  At  length  the  magistrates  passed  the  sentence 
of  banishment  upon  him ;  upon  which  he  removed,  with 
a  few  of  his  own  sect,  and  settled  at  a  place  called  Prov- 
idence. There  they  proceeded,"  says  Mr.  Mather,  ''  not 
only  unto  the  gathering  of  a  thing  like  a  church,  but  unto 
the  renouncing  their  infant  baptism.  After  this,"  he  says, 
"  he  turned  Seeker  and  Familist,  and  the  church  came  to 
nothing." 

Here  we  have  the  testimony  of  Cotton  Mather,  as 
quoted  by  Crosby,  that  when  Roger  Williams  turned 
Seeker,  his  society,  or  thing  like  a  church,  came  to  noth- 
ing. But  we  have  before  seen,  from  Mr.  Backus,  that  ho 
turned  Seeker  and  renounced  his  baptism  and  church  or- 
ganization in  July,  after  he  was  baptized  in  March.  Hence 
we  conclude,  that  the  Roger  Williams  church  came  to 
nothing  in  about  four  months  after  its  organization. 

Again :  Mr.  Adlam  introduces  another  important  wit- 
ness, as  follows  :  "  There  is  one  writer  whose  testimony  is 
of  the  highest  value  on  this  subject.    I  al- 
lude to  Thomas  Lechford,  who  was  in    /^^  .  ^-^  *  ok  "' 

^  America,  p.  35. 

New  England  from  1637  till  about  Aug- 
ust, 1641 ;  and,  among  other  places,  he  visited  Provi- 
dence, somewhere,  I  judge,  about  the  close  of  1640,  or  the 


60  American  (Baptists, 

beginning  of  1641.  He  inquired,  with  great  diligence, 
intd  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  country,  and  gave  a 
faithful  account.  Against  the  Baptists  he  had  no  special 
prejudices  more  than  against  the  Congregationalists,  for 
he  was  an  Episcopalian.  But  whatever  were  his  own  con- 
victions, I  have  gained,  in  many  respects,  a  more  exact 
view  of  New  England,  during  these  four  years,  from  him 
than  from  any  other  person.  When  speaking  of  Provi- 
dence, he  says :  ^  At  Providence,  which  is  twenty  miles 
from  the  said  Island  (Rhode  Island,  which  he  had  also 
visited),  lives  Master  Williams  and  his  company,  of  di- 
vers opinions ;  most  are  Anabaptists.  They  hold  there  is 
no  true,  visible  church  in  the  ^ciy,  nor  in  the  world,  nor 
any  true  ministry.^  Mark  this  account.  It  is  from  an 
eye-witness,  about  a  year  and  a  half  after  Williams  re- 
nounced baptism,  churches,  ministry,  and  all.^^ 

With  such  an  array  of  evidence,  that  Roger  Williams, 
with  his  church,  within  a  few  months  after  its  formation, 
renounced  their  baptism  and  church  organization,  and 
even  affirmed  that  there  was  no  true  church  in  the  world, 
how  passing  strange  that  any  one,  much  less  a  Baptist, 
should  have  conceived  the  erroneous  idea  that  Roger  Wil- 
liams was  the  founder  of  a  Baptist  church  at  all.  And  as 
no  one  pretends  that  Roger  Williams  ever  belonged  to  a 
Regular  Baptist  church,  but  only  to  his  own  little  anom- 
alous society,  which  fell  to  pieces  in  a  few  months;  there- 
fore, it  is  evident  that  Roger  Williams  was  never  a  member 
of  any  true,  legitimate  Baptist  church. 

After  a  thorough  investigation  of  all  the  facts  and  rec- 
ords, Mr.  Adlam  makes  the  following  concluding  remarks: 
"Among  the  evils  that  have  resulted  from  the  wrong  date 
of  the  Providence  church,  has  been  the  prominence  given 


'ho  Jsfewport  Church  the  Oldest  in  A-merica.    51 


to  Roger  Williams.    It  is  greatly  to  be  re- 
gretted, that  it  ever  entered  into  the  mind     /^^  .  ^-^  '  on"*" 
o  ^  ...  America,  p.  dD. 

of  any  one   to  make   him,  in  America, 

the  founder  of  our  denomination.  In  no  sense  was  he  so* 
"Well  would  it  be  for  Baptists,  and  for  Williams  him- 
self, could  his  short  and  fitful  attempt  to  become  a  Bap- 
tist, be  obliterated  from  the  minds  of  men.  A  man  only 
four  months  a  Baptist,  and  then  renouncing  his  baptism 
forever,  to  be  lauded  and  magnified  as  the  founder  of  the 
Baptist  denomination  in  the  New  World !  As  a  leader 
in  civil  and  religious  liberty,  I  do  him  homage;  as  a  Bap- 
tist, I  owe  him  nothing," 


Section  II. — The  newpoet,  and  not  the  peesent 
■  peovidence   chuech,   is  the    oldest    baptist 
chuech  in  ameeica. 

Not  long  after  the  dissolution  of  the  Roger  Williams 
Society,  which  only  existed  a  few  months,  Thomas  Olney, 
one  of  the  persons  baptized  by  Williams,  gathered  a 
church  at  Providence.  Some  historians  have  made  Olney 
the  successor  of  Williams  in  the  pastorship  over  the 
W^illiams  church.  He  was  the  successor  of  Mr.  Williams 
as  pastor  in  Providence,  not  over  the  Williams  church 
but  over  the  one  gathered  some  time  after  the  Williams 
church  came  to  nothing.  So,  Olney^s  church  was  the 
second  formed  in  Providence,  over  which  he  officiated  as 
pastor  till  his  death,  in  1682.  But  about  the  year  1652, 
a  division  occurred  in  the  Olney  church ;  a  number  of 
members  broke  off  and  formed  a  six-principle  Baptist 
church.  This  new  church  was  formed  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Elders  Dexter,  Wickenden,  and  Browne,  who  were 


52  American  baptists. 

Elders  together  in  its  formation,  and  succeed  each  other 
in  the  pastorship  of  this  church.  That  there  were  two 
Baptist  churches  in  Providence  as  early  as  1652  or  ^53,  is 
an  undisputed  historic  fact.  Mr.  Adlam  introduces  the 
testimony  of  Mr.  Staples,  as  follows :  "  Staples,  in  his  an- 
nals of  Providence,  says :  ^  There  were  two 
First  Bapt.  Ch.in  jg^^  ^^g^  churches  in  Providence  as  early  as 
America,  p.  7.  -"^  '' 

1652;   one  of  the  six-principle,  and  the 

other  of  the  five-principle  Baptists.     This  appears  from  a 

manuscript  diary  kept  by  John  Comer,  a  Baptist  preacher 

in  Newport.^  ^^    Again,  Mr.  Adlam  introduces  Comer  thus : 

"  Comer,  in  his  manuscript,  spells  Wickenden's  name,  as 

it  was  probably  pronounced,  Wigginton ;  and  his  exact 

words  are :   '  Mr.  William  Vaughn,  finding  a  number  of 

Baptists  in  the  town  of  Providence,  lately 
First  Bapt.  Ch.  m    •   •      j    j.        ,  i         •  •  i      i         i       * 

.       •  o  loined  together  in  special  church  cove- 

America,  p.  8.  -^  .       °         ,  ^ 

naut,  in  the  faith  and  practice,  and  under 
the  inspection  of  Mr.  William  Wigginton,  being  hereto- 
fore members  of  the  church  under  Mr.  Thomas  Olney,  of 
that  town,  he — i.  e.,  Mr.  William  Vaughn — went  thither  in 
the  month  of  October,  1652,  and  submitted  thereto  (to 
the  imposition  of  hands),  upon  which  he  returned  to  New- 
port, accompanied  with  Mr.  William  Wigginton  and  Mr. 
Gregory  Dexter,  etc' '' 

Once  more — Mr.   Callender  says:  "^ About  the  year 
1653  or  1654,  there  was  a  division  in  the 

us     ap  .     i.m  ]gj^p^jg|.  church  at  Providence,  about  the 
America,  p.  S,  ^  ' 

rite  of  laying  on  of  hands,  which  some 

pleaded  for  as  essentially  necessary  to  church  communion, 

and  the  others  would  leave  indiiferent.     Hereupon  they 

walked  in  two  churches:   one  under  C.  Browne,  Wick- 

enden,  etc.;  the  other  under  Thomas  Olney.' — Page  114." 


The  First  Church  in  America.  53 

From  the  above  documents,  and  others  which  might  be 
introduced,  it  is  clearly  shown  that  about  the  year  1652 
or  1653,  there  was  a  division  in  the  Olney  Providence 
church  about  the  laying  on  of  hands  before  communion, 
and  that  Wickenden,  Dexter  and  Browne,  were  the  lead- 
ers, who  went  off  and  formed  the  new  church,  which  was 
the  third  church  formed  in  Providence.  This  w^as  the 
six-principle  church,  w^hich,  as  will  be  seen,  has  continued 
to  the  present  time,  and  is  known  as  the  First  Church  in 
Providence.  But  Mr.  Olney  continued  as  pastor  over 
the  old  interest,  which  was  the  second  church  in  Provi- 
dence. This  is  further  shown,  in  the  language  of  Mr. 
Backus,  the  historian,  as  quoted  by  Mr.  Adlam,  as  fol- 
lows: "Thomas  Olney,  senior,  also  died 
this  year,  (1682).     He  was  next  to  Mr.     ^rs,    ajp  .     i.in 

-J        ^    \  J  -r-»        «      America^  p.  9. 

Williams  in  the  pastoral  office  at  Provi- 
dence, and  continued  so  to  his  death,  over  that  part  of 
the  church  who  are  called  five-principle  Baptists,  in  dis- 
tinction from  those  who  parted  from  their  brethren  about 
the  year  1653,  under  the  leading  of  Elder  AYickenden, 
holding  the  laying  on  of  hands  upon  every  church  mem- 
ber.^^ 

But  which  of  these  two  Providence  churches  —  01- 
ney's  five-principle  church,  or  the  seceded  six-principle 
church,  under  Wickenden,  etc. —  is  the  present  first 
chureh  in  Providence?  We  answer,  in  the  language  of 
Mr.  Adlam :  "  Tw^o  things  show  that  the 

existing    is    the    seceding    church.      1st.     /'    .   P  -    ]-  '^ 

°     ,  ^  ^        °  ^mfnc«,  p.  11. 

Every  writer,  including  the  record,  men- 
tions Browne,  Wickenden  and  Dexter,  as  former  pastors  of 
that  church.     2d.  The  present  church,  from  1652  until 
1770,  was  known  only  as  six-principle,  while  Olney 's  was 


54  Aviterican  (Baptists, 

the  five-principle  cliurcli.     From  this  it  follows,  that  the 

existing  church  in  Providence  was  not  founded  in  1639, 

but  1652 ;  it  was  not  the  first  church  in  the  State,  for  it 

came  out  from  an  older  church ;  it  is  not  the  oldest  of  the 

]>aptists  in  America,  for  the  Newport  church  was  founded, 

unquestionably,  eight  years  before ;  and  so  far  from  Roger 

\Yilliams  being  its  founder  and  first  pastor,  he  was  in 

England  when  it  was  founded ;  and  thirteen  years  before, 

he  had  ceased  to  be  a  Baptist.     It  also  follows,  that  the 

time  when  Roger  Williams  was  baptized,  has  nothing  to 

do  in  determining  the  age  of  the  present  church.'^ 

Thus,  it  is  shown  that  the  present  Providence  church, 

which  was  organized  in  1652,  by  Wickenden,  Dexter,  and 

Browne,  has  taken,  instead  of  her  own  date,  the  date  of 

the  Roger  Williams  Society.     But  what  became  of  the 

old  Olney  five-principle  church.     Mr.  Adlam  says:  "A 

melancholy  interest  invests  the  last  no- 

FirstBapt.Ch.in     ,•  i  v  r\  '  •     x     i         ^        t. 

.  ^    -^  -_     tice  we  nave  oi  this  ancient  church,     it 

continued  till  early  in  the  last  century, 

when  it  became  extinct,  leaving  no  records,  and  but  few 

events  in  its  history  behind.     The  fullest  information  of 

it  I  have  found,  is  in  a  note  by  Callender,  on  the  115th 

page  of  his  Discourse.    Speaking  of  this  church,  he  adds 

below:    ^This    last    continued    till    about   twenty   years 

ago,  when,  becoming  destitute  of  an  elder,  the  members 

were  united  with  other  churches ;  ^  and  further  adds,  ^  At 

present  there  is  some  prospect  of  their  re-establishment  in 

church  order.'     This  was  written  in  1738.     The  church 

had  then  been  extinct  about  twenty  years;  that  is,  it  lost 

ils  visibility  about   1718.     Morgan  Edwards  says,  that 

the  church  under  Olney  continued  till  1715:   so  that  it 

continued,    after  the  division   in    1652,    for  more   than 


First  Church  in  America.  55 

sixty  years^  when,  discouraged,  tliey  scattered,  never  to 
be  united  again.  And  thus  passed  away  the  original 
church,  and  the  waves  of  time  have  almost  obliterated  its 
remembrance  from  the  minds  of  men.  Callender  indeed 
thought,  when  he  w^rote,  that  it  might  be  re-established, 
and  in  this  he  would  have  rejoiced,  as  it  would  have 
afforded  him  a  church  that  would  hold  communion  with 
him  and  with  the  people  under  his  care;  but  he  was  dis- 
appointed, and  for  more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  the  old  church  in  Providence  is  among  the  things 
that  were.'^ 

From  the  foregoing  facts  and  dates,  it  is  fully  settled 
that  the  present  Providence  first  church,  Avhich  was  the 
third  organization  in  that  place,  was  not  organized  prior 
to  the  year  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty-two.  It  can  not, 
therefore,  be  the  first  church  in  America,  from  the  fact 
that  all  historians  agree  that  the  Newport  church  was 
organized  as  early  as  1644.  And  granting  this  to  be  the 
true  date  of  the  Newport  church — which  I  will  show  to  be 
a  mistake — it  makes  the  Newport  church  eight  years  older 
than  the  present  Providence  church.  Our  earliest  writers 
ascribe  this  priority  to  the  Newport  church. 

Mr.  Adlam  quotes  John  Comer  as  follows :    "  Comer, 

the  first,  and,  for  the  early  history  of  our 

denomination,  the  most  reliable  of  writers,     /'^  . '^^  '   ^'J^ 
■'.  /    America,  p.  19. 

ascribes,  distinctly  and  repeatedly,  this 
priority  to  the  Newport  church.  He  had  formed  the  de- 
sign, more  than  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  ago,  of 
writing  the  history  of  the  American  Baptists ;  and  in  that 
work,  which  he  only  lived  to  commence — but  which  em- 
braces an  account  of  this  church — he  says  in  one  place, 
*  that  it  is  the  first  of  the  Baptist  denomination.^     And, 


56  American  (Baptists. 

closing  his  history  of  it,  says,  '  Thus  I  have  briefly  given 
some  account  of  the  settlement  and  progress  of  the  first 
Baptist  church  of  Rhode  Island,  in  New  England,  and 
the  first  in  America/  ^' 

What  right  have  v/e  to  invalidate  the  emphatic  state- 
ment of  John  Comer,  the  first  Baptist  historian  of  Amer- 
ica, upon  the  "  confused  ^^  evidence  of  Mr.  Benedict,  who 
confesses  that  he  gets  all  his  information  from  the  Church 
Records,  which  have  been  shown  to  be  incorrect?  And 
more  —  later  developments  have  established  the  fact,  that 
the  Newport  church  is  not  only  the  first  church  in  Amer- 
ica, but  that  it  was  established  in  1638,  one  year  before 
the  Roger  Williams  church  was  formed.  This  is  clearly 
made  out  from  a  note  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Philadelphia 
Association,  as  follows:  "When  the  first  church  in  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  was  one  hundred  years 
PlillBaptAsso.,  ^^^  .^  ^^3g  ^^  j^^^^^  Callender,  their 
p.  455.  .    .  /  .  ' 

minister,  delivered  and  published  a  sermon 

on  the  occasion.^^  Yes ;  in  the  year  seventeen  hundred  and 
thirty-eight,  the  first  church  in  Newport  was  one  hundred 
years  old.  This  gives  us  sixteen  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
as  the  true  date  of  the  organization  of  the  Newport  church. 
This  date  is  also  confirmed  by  the  inscription  on  the  tomb- 
stone of  Dr.  John  Clark,  who  organized  this  church.  As 
this  inscription  contains  important  facts  and  dates,  which 
should  be  preserved,  I  give  it  entire,  as  follows : 


First  Church  in  America.  57 

"to  the  memoey  of 

DOCTOR  JOHN   CLAEKE, 

One  of  the  original  purchasers  and  proprietors  of 

this  Island,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the      ^^''^f  -^«i^^' 

First  Baptist  Church  in  Newport,  ^  '^^    "'"' 

its  first  pastor  and  munificent  benefactor : 

He  was  a  native  of  Bedfordshire,  England, 

and  a  practitioner  of  physic  in  London. 

He,  with  his  associates,  came  to  this  Island  from  Mass., 

in  March,  1638,  O.  S.,  and  on  the  24th 

of  the  same  month  obtained  a  deed  thereof  from 

the  Indians.     He  shortly  after  gathered 

the  Church  aforesaid,  and  became  its  pastor. 

In  1651,  he,  with  Eoger  Williams,  was  sent  to  England, 

by  the  people  of  Ehode  Island  Colony, 

to  negotiate  the  business  of  the  Colony  with  the 

British  ministry :  Mr.  Clarke  was  instrumental 

in  obtaining  the  Charter  of  1663  from  Charles  II :  which 

secured  to  the  people  of  the  States  free  and 

full  enjoyment  of  judgment  and  conscience  in  matters 

of  religion.     He  remained  in  England 

to  watch  over  the  interest  of  the  Colony  until  1664, 

and  then  returned  to  Newport  and 

resumed  the  pastoral  care  of  his  Church. 

Mr.  Clarke  and  Mr.  Williams,  two  fathers  of  the  Colony, 

strenuously  and  fearlessly  maintained  that 

.    none  but  Jesus  Christ  had  authority 

over  the  affairs  of  conscience.     He  died 

April  20,  1676,  in  the  66th  year 

of  his  age,  and  is  here  interred." 

There  is  no  higher  historic  authority  concerning  the  im- 
portant dates  and  acts  of  a  man's  life,  than  the  epitaph 
npon  his  tomb.  This  inscription  upon  the  tombstone  of 
Dr.  John  Clarke,  must  have  been  prepared  under  the  di- 
rection of  those  Avho  were  personally  cognizant  of  the  facts 


58  American  (Baptists. 

stated.  And  it  is  emphatically  stated,  and  graven  in  the 
rock,  tliat  Dr,  John  Clarke  came  to  this  Island  in  March, 
1638,  and  that  ^' he  shortly  after  gathered  the  church  afore- 
said, and  became  its  pastor  J' 

As  he  gathered  the  church  shortly  after  he  came  to 
Rhode  Island,  it  must  have  been  gathered  in  the  year  six- 
teen hundred  and  thirty-eight — one  year  before  the  "thing 
like  a  church,^'  formed  by  Roger  AYilliams.,  was  born.  On 
this  point  Mr.  Adlam  says :    "  After  all  the  investigations 

I  have  made,  I  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
lis      ap .      I.    g.^^  ^1^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  j^^^  ^£  ^1^^  JS'ewport 
m  Amer.,  p.  4o.  .     ^ 

church  is  1638,  and  that  any  other  is  alto- 
gether arbitrary.  My  reasons  for  these  views  are  the  fol- 
lowing: We  know  that  in  the  year  1638,  a  church  was 
formed  on  the  Island,  and  Dr.  Clarke  became  its  pastor ; 
and  we  have  no  information  that  that  church  ever  became 
extinct.  On  the  Island,  there  is  no  allusion  to  such  an 
event  in  any  record ;  nor  does  tradition  ever  speak  of  our 
church  but  as  the  original  church  on  the  Island :  other 
churches  came  out  from  us  —  we  from  no  other." 

We  consider  it  a  point  now  fully  made  out,  that  the 
Newport,  and  not  the  Providence  church,  is  the  oldest 
Baptist  church  in  America. 


Section  III. — No  present  baptist  church  oh  min- 
ister HAS   baptism,  by  SUCCESSION,  FROM  ROGER 


W^ILLIAMS. 


It  can  not  be  shown  that  any  present  Baptist  church  or 
minister  has  received  baptism  by  succession  from  Roger 
Williams. — Our  adversaries  seem  to  think,  that  if  they 
can  prove  that  the  Roger  Williams  Society  was  the  first 


JNo  Succession  from  Williams.  59 

Baptist  church  established  in  America,  they  have  estab- 
lished the  position  that  all  the  Baptists  of  America  have 
descended  from  Roger  Williams.  They  point  to  Roger 
Williams  with  an  air  of  triumph,  and  say :  "  Here  your 
chain  of  succession  is  broken.^^  But  if  it  could  be  shown, 
which  is  not  the  case,  that  the  Roger  Williams  Society 
was  the  first  Baptist  church  in  America,  this  would  have 
no  more  to  do  with  the  genealogy  of  Baptist  churches  in 
America  than  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus  has 
to  do  with  the  origin  or  genealogy  of  the  citizens  of  this 
country.  Suppose  some  political  logician  should  draw  the 
conclusion,  that  because  Columbus  was  the  first  discoverer 
of  America,  therefore  all  the  inhabitants  of  America  are 
the  descendants  of  Columbus!  What  would  be  thought 
of  such  reasoning?  No  man  of  common  sense  would  re- 
ceive such  teaching.  But  thousands  who  are  influenced 
more  by  prejudice  than  reason  or  revelation,  are  ready  to 
say  with  one  voice,  that  "  the  Baptists  of  America  sprang 
from  Roger  Williams,  because  he  was  the  founder  of  the 
first  Baptist  church  on  this  continent ! " 
•  Such  persons  exhibit  the  disposition  of  the  animal  in 
the  manger,  which  could  not  eat  hay  himself  and  was  de- 
termined that  the  ox  should  not.  They  have  no  succes- 
sion themselves  except  the  Romish,  and  they  are  determ- 
ined to  cut  off  the  Baptist  succession.  But  we  are  asked, 
"Does-  not  Mr.  Benedict  say,  that  the  old  Providsnce 
church  was  the  prolific  mother  of  many 
Baptist  communities?*^  But  this  was  not  ^^rq  ^^'  ^^ '^ 
said  concerning  the  Roger  Williams 
church,  which,  as  already  shown,  came  to  nothing  in  a 
few  months  after  its  formation;  nor  of  the  Olney  church, 
which  also,  after  a  series  of  years,  became  extinct;  but  it 


GO  American  (Baptists, 

was  said  concerning  the  church  established  about  1652, 
under  Dexter,  Wickenden  and  Browne,  neither  of  whom 
received  their  baptism  from  Roger  Williams.  And  Greg- 
ory Dexter  was  a  Baptist  preacher  in  London  before  he 
came  to  Providence,  in  1644.  So  that  even  the  Provi- 
dence church  was  organized  by  a  minister  whose  succes- 
sion extends  to  the  English  Baptists. 

On  this  point,  Mr.  Graves  says :    "It  can  not  be  shown 
that  any  Baptist  church  sprang  from  Wil- 

the  baptism  of  any  Baptist  minister  came 
from  Williams'  hands. 

The  oldest  Baptist  church  in  America  is  the  one  now 
existing,  with  her  original  articles  of  faith,  in  Newport, 
R.  I. ;  and  she  was  planted  by  Dr.  John  Clarke,  before 
AYilliams  was  baptized. 

He  received  his  baptism  in  Elder  StillwelPs  church,  in 
London,  and  that  church  received  hers  from  the  Dutch 
Baptists  of  Holland — sending  over  a  minister  to  be 
baptized  by  them.  These  Baptists  descended  from  the 
Waldenses,  whose  historical  line  reaches  far  back,  and 
connects  with  the  Dpnatists,  and  theirs,  to  the  apostolical 
churches. 

A  writer  in  the  Christian  Review  condenses  the  facts 
of  history  into  the  following  eleven  statements,  which  can 
be  confidently  relied  upon  : 

'1.  Roger  Williams  was  baptized  by  Ezekiel  Holli- 
man,  March,  1639;  and  immediately  after,  he  baptized 
Mr.  Holliman  and  ten  others. 

'  2.  These  formed  a  church,  or  society,  of  which  Roger 
Williams  was  the  pastor. 

[3.]  '  Four  months  after  his  baptism — that  is,  in  July 


J\^o  Siiccession  from  Williams.  61 

following — Williams  left  the  churchy  and  never  afterward 
returned  to  it.  As  his  doubts  respecting  baptism  and  the 
perpetuity  of  the  church,  which  led  to  this  step,  must 
have  commenced  soon  after  his  baptism,  it  is  not  likely 
that  he  baptized  any  others. 

^  4.  The  church  which  Williams  formed,  came  to  noth- 
ing, or  was  dissolved  soon  after  he  left  it. 

^5.  It  was  re-organized,  or  another  was  formed,  a  few 
days  afterward,  under  Mr.  Thomas  Olney  as  its  pastor, 
who  was  one  of  the  eleven  baptized  by  Roger  Williams. 
Olney  continued  to  be  pastor  of  this  church  until  his 
death,  in  1682,  somewhat  over  thirty  years. 

'6.  In  1653  or  1654,  which  w^as  a  few  years  after  the 
formation  of  Olney's  church,  there  was  a  division  in  that 
church  on  the  question  of  ^  laying  on  of  hands  ^  in  the  re- 
ception of  members;  and  a  separate  church  w^as  formed 
for  the  maintenance  of  this  ceremony,  under  the  pastor- 
ship of  Chad.  Browme,  Wickenden,  and  Dexter.  This 
church  was  perpetuated,  having,  in  1808,  given  up  its 
original  faith  as  to  the  ^laying  on  of  hands,^  and  is  no^v 
the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Providence. 

^  7.  The  parent  church,  under  Olney,  gradually  dwin- 
dled away,  and  became  extinct  about  the  year  1718,  some 
seventy  years  from  its  origin. 

'  8.  No  church  was  formed  from  Olney's,  after  the  di- 
vision already  mentioned,  and  no  ministers  are  known  to 
have  gone  out  from  it.  Olney's  baptism,  whether  valid 
or  invalid,  w^as  not  propagated. 

'  9.  Nearly  a  century  passed  before  the  church  formed 
from  Olney 's  began  to  colonize,  in  1730. 

^  10.  None  of  its  ministers,  or  the  ministers  of  the 
churches  formed  from  it,  received  their  baptism  from 


62  American  (Baptists. 

Williams,  or  from  any  one  whose  baptisms  descended 
from  his. 

^11.  The  Baptist  churches  of  America,  then,  could  not 
have  descended  from  Eoger  AVilliams,  or  from  the  tem- 
porary society  which  he  formed.  Their  true  descent  is 
from  the  Baptist  churches  of  Wales  and  Piedmont,  ex- 
tending back  to  the  apostles'  times.' '' 

The  items  set  forth  in  this  quotation  are  fully  sustained 
by  the  facts  of  history.  It  is  both  offensive  and  invidious, 
for  those  who  ought  to  know  better,  to  persist  in  the  cir- 
culation of  the  false  representation  that  Roger  Williams 
was  the  founder  of  the  American  Baptists.  Those  who 
make  this  charge  are  wholly  inexcusable ;  for,  if  they  are 
ignorant  of  Baptist  history,  they  should  not  affirm  con- 
cerning that  about  which  they  are  not  informed ;  butj  if 
they  know  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  still  persist  in  the 
charge,  they  are  evidently  dishonest  and  unworthy  of  re- 
spect. Who  will  undertake  to  trace  the  succession  of  any 
living  Baptist  to  Williams  ?  If  our  enemies — for  enemies 
they  are  who  make  such  charges — will  make  no  attempt 
to  sustain  their  allegations,  let  them  be  regarded  with 
•that  compassion  which  is  due  from  us  toward  the  false 
accusers  of  the  servants  of  Jesus  Christ. 


Section    IV.  —  Baptist    ministers    from    Europe 

WHO   AIDED  IN  PLANTING  THE    EARLY   AMERICAN 
CHURCHES. 

It  has  already  been  fully  shown  that  the  Baptists  of 
America  have  not  descended  from  Roger  Williams.  And 
it  now  becomes  a  matter  of  great  interest  to  know  where 
they  came  from. 


Ministers  from  Europe.  63 

The  Baptists  of  America  number  over  a  million  meir- 
bers,  and  Baptist  cliurclies  are  numbered  by  thousands, 
whose  ministers  are  proclaiming  their  heaven-born  doc- 
trine to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  world. 

These  churches  must  have  been  planted  by,  the  agency 
of  some  person  or  persons. 

I  now  proceed  to  give  a  list  of  the  names  of  some  of 
our  brethren  who  were  regularly  baptized  and  ordained 
in  Europe ;  and  who,  having  fled  to  the  American  wilds 
for  an  asylum  which  was  denied  them,  aided  in  the  plant- 
ing of  the  early  Baptist  churches  from  which,  as  flowing 
streams,  the  denomination  has  come  down  to  us.  At  the 
head  of  this  bright  catalogue  of  names,  I  place  the  im- 
perishable name  of  Dr.  John  Claeke,  who  received  his 
baptism  anf^  ordination  in  London,  in  a  church  whose 
succession  extends  in  a  regular  line  back  to  the  apostolic 
age.  John  Clarke  was  a  man  of  uncommon  eloquence  and 
learning,  and  possessed  with  a  burning  zeal  for  the  cause 
of  his  Master,  which  caused  him  to  preach  the  cross  of 
Christ  in  Massachusetts  in  spite  of  the  laws  to  the  con- 
trary ;  and  which,  after  his  imprisonment,  caused  him  to 
accept  a  challenge  from  the  Governor  (John  Endicot),  to 
debate  with  the  learned  dignitaries  of  the  established 
church,  in  defense  of  Baptist  doctrine.  But,  after  giving 
the  challenge,  these  renowned  theologians  backed  out 
from  the  proposed  controversy  with  this  unconquercd 
prisoner. 

1.  John  Clarke  was  born  in  Bedfordshire,  Eno^land. 
in  1609.  He  came  to  this  country,  as  a  Baptist  minister, 
from  London.  He  settled,  at  first,  in  Massachusetts;  but 
fled  from  persecution,  and  arrived  in  Rhode  Island  in 
March,  1638 ;  and  in  the  same  year  established  the  first 


64  American  (Baptists. 

Baptist  cliurcli  on  the  coDtinent  of  America,  in  New- 
j)ort,  E.  I. 

Tins  cliurcli  is  standing  yet,  with  its  original  constitu- 
tion, as  a  monument  of  the  truth  for  which  its  founder 
suffered.  John  Clarke,  by  his  influence  Avith  the  king  of 
England  (Charles  II.),  secured  the  charter  granting  civil 
and  religious  liberty  to  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island, 
which  afterward  was  extended  over  the  Avhole  country. 
The  Newport  first  church  has,  from  time  to  time,  sent  out 
numerous  branches  to  form  other  churches.  This  church, 
as  already  seen,  was  formed  in  1638,  one  year  prior  to  the 
informal  baptism  of  Williams ;  and  yet,  it  would  not  be 
proper  to  call  John  Clarke  the  founder  of  the  American 
Baptists.  He  was  only  one  of  many  who  aided  in  the  or- 
ganization of  churches. 

John  Callender,  the  historian  of  Rhode  Island,  says  of 

John  Clarke:   "He  was  a  faithful  and  useful  minister,. 

courteous  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  and 
Cramp's  Hist.  i.  x     i  •  c      -  i   x     xi_ 

B    f        A"?,        ^^  ornament  to  his  proiession  and  to  the 

several  offices  which  he  sustained.  His 
memory  is  deserving  of  lasting  honor,  for  his  efforts  to- 
ward establishing  the  first  government  in  the  world  which 
gave  to  all  equal  civil  and  religious  liberty.  To  no  man 
is  Rhode  Island  more  indebted  than  to  him.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  projectors  of  the  settlement  of  the  Island, 
and  one  of  its  ablest  legislators.  No  character  in  New 
England  is  of  purer  fame  than  John  Clarke.'^ 

2.  Thomas  Griffith,  from  South  Wales,  emigrated 
with  the  church  of  which  he  was  pastor,  in  the  year  1701. 
They  settled,  at  first,  near  Pennepek,  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  remained  two  years,  and  finally  settled  at 
Welsh  Tract,  in  Pennsylvania  (now  Delaware),  in  1703. 


Ministers  fro^n  Europe,  65 

This  church  was  organized  in  AValeS;  in  1701,  on  sixteen 
members.  They  sailed,  in  church  capacity,  on  board  the 
ship  James  and  Mary.  Here  we  have  a  whole  church, 
with  their  pastor,  emigrating  to  this  country ;  they  kept 
up  their  regular  church  meetings  while  crossing  the 
billows  of  the  Atlantic  Odean.  And  after  its  settlement 
at  Welsh  Tract,  it  sent  forth  quite  a  number  of  able  min- 
isters, who  aided  in  planting  our  American  churches. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  Elislia 
Thomas,  Enoch  Morgan,  Jenkin  Jones,  Owen  Thomas, 
Abel  jNIorgan,  and  David  Davis.  The  editor  of  the  Min- 
utes of  the  Philadelphia  Association  remarks :  *^  That  this 
church  appears  to  be  very  singular  in  its 

first  settlement,  and  hath  been  the  best       ^^  1    ^^  *    ^^^"^ 

.   .  P-  1^' 

supplied  with  ministers  of  any  church  be- 
longing to  this  association.'^ 

And  this  old  Welsh  Tract  Church  sent  off  branches,  as 

swarms    from    a    parent    hive,  to    form 

1         1  A  1  i-o^7    J.1'  Davis' Hist.  Welsh 

new  churches.     As  early  as   1/37,  this  „    ^       .^r 

,     ^  Bapt.,  p.  125. 
church  lettered  off  thirty  members,  who 

settled  and  formed  a  church  at  Welsh  Neck,  on  the  Pedee 
Kiver,  in  South  Carolina.  Will  our  friends  affirm  that 
the  Welsh  Tract  Church,  with  its  numerous  ministers  and 
branches,  originated  with  the  Koger  Williams  affair? 
This  church,  we  learn,  has  taken  sides  with  the  Anti- 
Mission  party,  and  has  thereby  impaired  its  usefulness. 

3.  John   Miles,  with   several   Baptists,   came   from 
Sw^insea,  Wales,  in  1663,  and  organized 
a  church  in  Massachusetts,  which  was  also    ■^^'^^^'  ^*^^-  ^"^^^^^ 
called  Sw^ansea,  which  is  the  oldest  Bap-    j^J^kus  p  93      ' 
tist  church  in  the  State.     Elder  Miles 
was  one  of  those  faithful  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ  whc 


66  American  baptists. 

suffered  persecution  under  Charles  II.,  and  also  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. So  we  find  that  the  first  church  in  the  Bay 
State  was  regularly  organized  by  a  Baptist  preacher  from 
Europe. 

4.  RoBEET  NoRDiN  was  ordained  as  a  Baptist  minis-, 
ter  in  London,  in  1714,  and  immediately  sailed  for  Vir- 
ginia;  and  on  his  arrival  he  organized  a 

Ben.  His.  Bapt.,  church  at  Burley,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight 
S  / "  '  CI  H'^t  county,  which  was  the  first  Baptist  church 
p.  229.  organized  in  the  State  of  Virginia.     And 

members  emigrating  from  this  church 
spread  the  cause  of  truth  in  North  Carolina,  and  in  a 
short  time  sixteen  churches  were  organized.  Thus  we 
find  that  the  first  church  in  Virginia  was  regularly  or- 
ganized by  a  missionary  who  received  his  baptism  and 
ordination  in  England;  and  that  from  this  church  many 
of  the  early  churches  in  North  Carolina  derived  their 
origin.  Will  any  one  dare  to  affirm  that  the  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  Baptists  sprang  from  the  Roger  Wil- 
liams affair  ?  Nothing  except  bitter  prejudice  or  ignorance 
could  have  originated  the  mistake  that  Williams  w^as  the 
founder  of  the  Baptists  in  America.  It  is  high  time  that 
professed  Christian  men  had  confined  themselves  within 
the  bounds  of  truth. 

5.  Morgan  Edwards,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  1722, 

and  educated  in  Bristol  College,  which  is 
Davis^  His.  Welsh         -o      --x-     x-xx*  •       t-i      i       i 

Bavt  DD  77-79  ^  Baptist  institution,  m  England,  com- 
menced preaching  in  his  sixteenth  year. 
And  by  the  urgent  request  of  Dr.  Gill  and  other  London 
ministers,  he  took  passage  and  arrived  in  America  in  the 
year  1761,  and  became  the  pastor  of  the  church  afThila- 
delphia.     Mr.  Edwards  was  a   man  of  learning  and  en- 


Ministers  from  Europe. 


ergy.  He  wrote  extensively.  Among  his  productions 
may  be  mentioned  his  "Materials  toward  a  History  of 
the  Baptists  in  Pennsylvania.'^  This  is  said  to  be  a 
valuable  collection.  It  may  be  found  in  the  library  at 
Newport. 

6.  Samuel  Jones,  of  South  Wales,  with  a  number  of 

other  Baptists,  emigrated  to  America  in 

the  year  1686:  and  settled  on  the  banks     ^    /     ^'„ 
•^  '     .  .  Bapt,  p.  67. 

of  the  Pennepek,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  went 
into  church  organization  at  that  place. 

7.  Abel  Morgan,  of  Wales,  who  was  an  influential 

Baptist  minister  and  pastor  in  his  native 

,  1         .       -,    .        .  .  -1 -7-1 1       Davis'  His.  Yielsh 

country ,  and  arrived  in   America,   1711,     ,,  ^^ 

and  took  the  care  of  the  church  in  Phila- 
delphia. He  was  a  man  of  learning.  He  compiled  a 
folio  Concordance  to  the  Welsh  Bible,  which  was  printed 
in  Philadelphia  in  1730.  It  is  a  popular  error  to  suppose 
that  all  the  early  Baptist  ministers  of  this  country  were 
uneducated  men. 

8.  William  Davis  came  to  Pennsylvania  from  Wales 
as  a  Baptist  minister. 

9.  Hugh  Davis,  with  eight  other  members  of  Swan- 
sea church,  of  South   Wales,  received  a 

letter  of  dismission  and  emigrated  to  Penn-    ^^^'^^'  ^^^^-  ^^  ^^^^^ 

,         .     .     ^r'-if\       TT  -r»      ,•  ,       •         i?(7w/!.,p.  90;  also, 

eylvania  in  1  i  10.     He  was  a  Baptist  mm-    p^^^^  Asso.,]).  li 

ister  in  Wales,  and  became  the  founder 

and  first  pastor  of  the  church  at  Great  Valley,  Chester 

county,  Pennsylvania.     While  one  church  emigrated  in 

church  capacity,  in  other  cases  members  were  lettered  off 

in  order  to  enter  into  church  organization  as  soon  as  they 

should  arrive  in  this  country. 

10.  David  Evans,  from  Wales,  came  to  America  as  a 


GS  American  (Baptists. 


Baptist  preacher,     ^ye  do  not  possess  the 

Davis'  His.  Welsh     j.-i       i?j.iii  r     ^^    n  j^ 

-n     .       ^^.  details  01  the  labors  oi  all  these  men  of 

Ba2-)t.,  p.  101.  ^11 

God  who  planted  the  standard  of  truth 

in  America. 

11.  Nathaniel  Jenkins.      This    eminent    Baptist 

minister,  of  Wales,  emigrated  to  America 

,,    ^        '  ,  at  an  early  day,  about  1701.     Pie  became 

Bapt.,  p.  114.  ''        ''  ^ 

pastor  of  the  church  at  Cape  May,  "West 
Jersey.  It  would  be  interesting  to  have  the  details  of 
these  pioneer  Baptists. 

12.  Griffith  Jones,  who  w^as  the  able  pastor  of  Hen- 

goed  church,  in  Wales,  emigrated  to 
Davis'  His.  Welsh      *  .        .      ^  - ,  ^^         -,  ,  , 

p  ^^^  America  m   i74y,  and  became  a  member 

of  the  Welsh  Tract  Church  and  associate 
pastor  with  David  Davis.  It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  majority  of  these  standard-bearers  labored  in  the  pas- 
toral work  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  ocean.  They 
were  truly  pilgrims  and  strangers  on  the  earth. 

13.  Caleb  Evans  was  born  in  South  Wales,  educated 

at  Bristol  College,  came  to  America  as  a 
^  *  o  Baptist  minister,  and  settled  at  Charles- 

ton, South  Carolina,  about  1778.  It  has 
already  been  noted  that  the  early  Baptists  of  South  Caro- 
lina were  of  Welsh  origin.  Some  of  their  ministers  came 
directly  from  Wales,  while  others  came  from  the  Welsh 
church  in  Rhode  Island. 

^     14.  John  Burrows  came  from  the  west  of  England  a? 
a  Baptist  minister  in  1711,  and  labored 
n-a  BapLAsso.,    ^^^^^    .^^   Philadelphia,  then    removed   to 
p.  12.  ^        ' 

Middletown,  in  1713.     We  are  not  in  the 

possession  of  the  details  of  this  Baptist  preacher,  more 
than  that  he  was  an  acceptable  minister  of  Jesus. 


Ministers  from  Europe.  69 

15.  RiciiAED  JoNES;  a  Baptist  preacher  from  England, 
settled   in  Virginia   in   1727,    where   he 

labored  thirty  years  in  the  ministry.     He        qa^  ^ '  ' 

labored  in  the  field  previously  occupied 
by  Robert  Nordin,  who  preceded  him  as  the  pioneer  Bap- 
tist of  the  Old  Dominion.     The  succession  of.  the  Vir- 
ginia Baptists  is  back  to  England. 

16.  Casper  Mintz  came  from  England  and  settled  in 

Viririnia,   1727.     He  spent  about  thirty 

^    .     ,1  •    •  .  XT  ±.\  Ben.  His.  Bapt. 

years  m  the  mmistry.     He  was  the  asso-        ^ ,^  ^  ' 

ciate  of  Richard  Jones ;  they  both  arrived 

in  Virginia  two  years  after  the  death  of  Robert  Nordin. 

17.  John  Emblem,  from  England,  became  the  co- 
pastor  with  Mr.  Hull,  in  Boston,  in  1684. 

The  Baptists  of  Boston  were  sorely  per-     t^^'^  ^  47T  ' 
secuted  and  harrassed  by  the  standing  or- 
der in  the  early  part  of  their  history. 

18.  Elisha  Thomas  came  from  Wales  as  an  original 
member  of  the  Welsh  Tract  Church.  He  reached  this 
country  in  1701.  Though  he  was  ordained  in  this  coun- 
try, he  was  baptized  in  AVales.  He  received  his  ordina- 
tion from  the  old  Welsh  Tract  Church. 

19.  Enoch  Morgan  also  came  as  one  of  the  original 
members  of  the  Welsh  Tract  Church.  He  was  also  or- 
dained in  this  country.  Other  names  could  be  given  of 
ministers  whose  succession  was  directly  from  Europe,  but 
we  close  this  list  with  one  name  more. 

20.  Gregory  Dexter  was  a  Baptist  preacher  in  Lon- 
don, who  came  over  to  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  in  1644. 
He  was  associated  with  Wickenden  and  Browne,  as  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  present  Providence  first  church.  He 
was  the  first  who  taught  the  art  of  printing  in  New  Eng- 


70^  .    American  (Baptists. 

land.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  piety;  and  lived  a 
devoted  minister  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years. 

Thus  we  see,  after  all  the  smoke  and  noise  raised  about 
the  Baptists  of  America  descending  from  Eoger  Williams, 
that  it  turns  out  that  even  the  Providence  first  church 
has  a  regular  succession,  through  her  founders,  back  to 
England. 

It  can  not  be  i:troved  that  any  Baptist  now  living  in 
America,  or  elsewhere,  has  received  baptism,  by  succession, 
from  Roger  Williams.  Those  few  Baptists  among  us  who 
have  been  received  among  Baptists  on  their  "  alien  '^  im- 
mersions, are  nearer  to  the  Roger  Williams  succession 
than  any  others. 

Here  are  the  names  of  a  score  of  the  many  Baptist 
ministers  who  received  their  baptism  regularly  in  Europe, 
and  emigrated  to  this  country  in  early  times ;  they  aided 
in  bearing  the  Baptist  standard,  and  planting  Baptist 
churches  throughout  the  colonies  of  America.  These  self- 
sacrificing  Baptist  ministers  toiled  amidst  dangers,  perse- 
cutions, stripes,  and  imprisonments,  to  the  end  of  their 
lives,  in  extending  Baptist  principles,  and  organizing 
Baptist  churches  on  this  continent.  But,  after  all,  shall 
the  whole  honor  of  these  mighty  labors  be  ascribed  to  one 
who  only  partially  embraced  Baptist  principles  for  four 
months,  was  never  regularly  baptized,  never  belonged  to 
a  true  Baptist  church,  was  never  ordained  to  the  minis- 
try, and  repudiated  all  baptism  and  church  organization 
during  the  remainder  of  a  life  of  forty-three  years? 
True,  Williams  was  a  firm  advocate  of  religious  liberty ; 
but  this  was  nothing  new  to  Baptists,  for  they  had  con- 
tended for  this,  as  a  fundamental  principle,  through  the 
dark  ages  of  Poj^ish  tyranny  from  the  apostolic  times. 


Ministers  from  Europe.  71 

The  peculiar  circumstances  which  surrounded  Roger  Wil- 
liams, have  inscribed  his  name  high  on  the  rolls  of  fame 
as  a  great  benefactor  of  the  human  race.  But,  long  be- 
fore the  time  of  Williams,  multiplied  thousands  of  un- 
1  inching  Baptists  patiently  suffered,  and  poured  forth 
their  blood  in  maintenance  of  the  same  boon  of  heaven — 
religious  liberty. 

And  why  is  it  that  the  illustrious  names  of  these  mighty 
hosts  of  Baptist  martyrs  who  perished  in  filthy  dungeons, 
wandered  in  lonely  exile  amidst  mountain  snows  and  des- 
erts wild,  or  embraced  the  martyr's  stake  amidst  the  curl- 
ing flames  which  consumed  their  bodies,  are  left  to  moulder 
in  the  dark  tomb  of  forgetfulness,  Avhile  the  name  of  Y/il- 
iiams,  one  of  the  founders,  not  of  the  Baptists,  but  of 
Rhode  Island  colony,  is  exalted  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of 
denominational  fame  ?  Why,  I  ask,  is  his  name  held  up 
as  the  founder  of  the  Ba})tist  denomination  in  America? 
Is  it  because  he  embraced  the  Baptist  doctrine  of  ''soul 
liberty  f ''  So  did  George  Washington,  with  many  of  our 
revolutionary  sires,  who  were  not  Baptists.  And  as  well 
might  it  be  claimed  that  Washington  w^as  the  founder  of 
the  Baptist  denomination  in  America !  Especially,  if  he 
had  received  baptism  from  Gen.  Green,  Gates,  or  some 
one  else  having  no  connection  with  the  Baptists,  then  this 
JN^ould  have  constituted  him  the  father  and  founder  of  the 
Baptist  denomination  in  America ! 

The  illustrious  Patrick  Henry  was  the  friend  and  de- 
fender of  persecuted  Baptists  of  Virginia ;  and  he,  as  fully 
as  Roger  Williams,  embraced  the  doctrine  of  "soul  lib- 
erty*'; why  not  constitute  him  the  founder  of  the  Baptist 
denomination  in  Virginia? 

No :  there  is  a  purpose  to  serve  in  thus  exalting  Roger 


i'l 


America::  ^Baptists. 


Williams.  It  is  to  make  the  impression  on  the  minds  of 
the  multitude  that  Williams  was  the  founder  of  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  in  this  country,  and  thereby  bring  the 
Baptists  on  a  par  with  the  denominations,  or  societies, 
which  have  an  admitted  human  origin  and  founder. 

We  have  grouped  together  the  names  of  twenty  Baptist 
nunisters,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean  and  planted 
the  standard  of  the  Cross  in  the  American  deserts,  so  that 
the  wilderness  has  been  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 
They  organized  Baptist  churches  in  Rhode  Island,  Mas- 
sachusetts, Pennsylvania,  Delaw^are,  Maryland,  Virginia, 
and  the  Carolinas;  and  from  these,  like  flowing  streams, 
the  denomination  has  spread  over  the  mighty  West.  I 
am  thoroughly  satisfied  that  the  most  obscure  of  these 
early  ministers  named  has  as  good  claim  to  be  canonized 
as  the  founder  of  the  Baptists  in  America,  as  Roger  Wil- 
liams. Our  connection  with  the  European  churches  is  so 
strongly  developed  that,  besides  the  multitude  of  ministers 
who  emigrated,  vast  numbers  of  private  members  were 
lettered  off,  and  emigrated  to  this  country,  and  formed 
an  important  element  in  the  organization  of  our  early 
churches.  And,  as  we  have  already  seen,  one  church,  now 
the  Welsh  Tract,  emigrated  from  Yv^ales  to  this  country  in 
her  organized  capacity.  This  church  is  now  located  in 
the  State  of  Delaware.  She  became  the  ^^  prolific  mother,^' 
that  sent  out  many  ministers  and  colonies  to  form  churches. 
The  Welsh-Neck  church,  in  South  Carolina,  was  formed 
of  members  of  this  old  mother  church.  Benedict  himself, 
so  far  from  teaching  that  Roger  Williams  was  the  founder 
of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  America,  upon  the  ques- 
tion of  our  origin,  says :  ^^  The  Welsh  Baptists  began  to 
emigrate  to  this  country  in  very  early  times,  and  by  them 


I 
i 


Ministers  frojn  Europe.  73 

some  of  our  oldest  and  well  organized   churclies   were 
planted;  order,    intelligence,  and  stabil- 
ity.marked  their  operations;  and  the  num-  "       *      ^  '' 

ber  of  Baptist  communities  which  have 
branched  out  from  these  V/elsh  foundations — the  number 
of  ministers  and  members  who  have  sprung  from  Cambro- 
British  ancestors,  and  the  sound,  salutary,  and  efficient 
principles  which  by  them  have  been  diffused  among  the 
Baptist  population  in  this  country,  \s  beyond  the  concep- 
tion of  most  of  our  people.  We  shall  see,  when  w^e  come 
to  the  history  of  the  American  Baptists,  that  settlements 
were  formed  in  very  early  times  by  this  people,  which 
became  the  center  of  Baptist  operations  in  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, and  South  Carolina.'^ 

We  have  now  seen  from  all  the  light  on  this  subject, 
that  the  Baptist  Church  succession  is  not  interrupted  or 
broken  off  by  the  Roger  Williams  affair;  but  that  the 
Baptist  churches  of  America  have  descended  regularly 
from  the  Welsh  and  English  Baptists,  whose  history,  as 
we  shall  see,  extends  through  the  German  Baptists  and 
Waldenses  to  the  apostolic  times. 

Instead  of  Roger  Williams  having  anything  to  do  with 
the  origin  of  the  Baptists  of  this  country,  it  turns  out  that 
he  never  became  a  Baptist,  onl}^  in  part;  and  that  no 
Baptist  in  the  world  is  known  to  have  received  baptism 
by  succession  from  him.  The  foregoing  facts  show  that 
the  Baptists  of  Rhode  Island  had  their  origin  from  the 
English  and  Welsh  Baptists,  through  the  ministry  of  John 
Clarke,  Thomas  Griffith,  Gregory  Dexter,  and  others ;  that 
the  early  Baptists  of  Massachusetts  had  their  origin,  also. 


74  ■    American  ^Baptists. 

from  the  Welsh  and  English  Baptists,  through  the  min- 
istry of  John  Miles,  John  Emblem,  and  others;  that 
the  Pennsylvania  Baptists  had  their  origin  from  AVales 
and  England,  through  the  ministry  of  Morgan  Edwards, 
Samuel  Jones,  Abel  Morgan,  Hugh  Davis,  and  others; 
that  the  Virginia  Baptists  had  their  origin  mainly  from 
the  English  Baptists,  through  the  ministry  of  Robert  Xor- 
din,  Kichard  Jones,  Casper  Mintz,  and  others ;  and  that 
the  North  and  South  Carolina  Baptists  had  their  origin 
from  the  English  and  Welsh  Baptists,  through  the  minis- 
try of  Caleb  Evans,  from  Wales,  and  missionaries  from 
the  Philadelphia  Association,  with  emigrants  from  the 
Virginia  Baptists.  From  these  early  centers  of  Baptist 
operations  in  the  Atlantic  States,  the  tide  of  Baptist  emi- 
gration has  flowed  westward,  till  the  voice  of  the  Baptist 
hiinistry  is  heard  among  the  savages  of  the  jar  West,  and 
even  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  ocean. 

Especially,  in  Kentucky,  do  we  find  the  descendants  of 
the  Virginia  Baptists.  Of  these  pioneers,  might  be  men- 
tioned the  names  of  the  Craigs,  the  Wallers,  and  others, 
who  had  the  honor  to  preach  Jesus  Christ  through  the 
iron  bars  of  their  prisons  in  Virginia.  No  Baptist  need 
be  ashamed  of  his  denominational  ancestors  who,  in  the 
infancy  of  the  American  colonies,  came  from  England 
and  Wales,  and  some  from  other  countries,  and  planted 
the  tree  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  in  the  New  World, 
where  they  finally  succeeded  in  enstamping  these  cher- 
ished principles  on  the  American  Government,  and  have 
thereby  been  the  means  of  giving  religious  liberty  to  a 
continent.  It  Avill  be  well  for  Baptists  to  be  ever  mind- 
ful of  the  cost  at  which  soul-liberty  has  been  purchased 


American  (Baptists. 


to  this  country ;  and  while  this  boon  of  heaven  remains 
ours,  we  shoukl  improve  the  goklen  opportunity  of  fixing 
the  same  principles  in  the  hearts  of  the  masses  of  man- 
kind.    AYe  should  work  while  it  is  called  to-day. 


70  English  (Baptists. 


CHAPTEH   IV. 

ENGLISH  BAPTISTS. 

1.  The  English  Baptists   did  not  oeiginate   with   John 

Smith. 

2.  The  English  Baptists  ake  descended  feom  the  Ger^ian 

Baptists. 

Section  I. — The  English  baptists  did  not  orig- 
inate WITH  JOHN   SMITH. 

At  the  outset  we  found  the  Baptists  of  America  dis- 
tinguished from  all  other  denominations  by  certain  lead- 
ing peculiarities^  numbering  between  one  and  two  millions 
of  members ;  and  pushing  the  victories  of  the  Cross  from 
Maine  to  Western  Texas ;  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
ocean ;  from  the  Eastern  States  to  the  far  AYestern  States 
and  Territories  of  the  Pacific  slope. 

They  are  the  most  intensely  aggressive  and  powerful 
denomination  on  the  continent.  We  found  them  untram- 
meled  by  fines,  and  unfettered  by  imprisonments,  with  no 
ecclesiastical  task-masters  over  them  to  apply  the  cruel 
scourge,  or  to  consume  them  to  ashes  for  their  supposed 
heresies. 

Notwithstanding,  the  Baptist  doctrine  of  soul-liberty 
has  so  completely  permeated  every  department  of  society 
(whether  civil  or  religious),  that  Baptists  are  now  allowed 
to  worship  God  under  their  own  vine  and  fig-tree,  and 
none  dares,  legally,  to  molest  or  make  them  afraid ;  yet, 
the  very  name  Baptist,  is  odious  to  a  large  number  of  re- 


English  (Baptists  not  from  John  Sn^ith.      77 

ligionists,  who  seem  to  feel  fully  authorized  to  pour  out 
their  vials  of  wrath  upon  Baptists,  in  denunciations,  mis- 
representing their  doctrine,  and  perverting  their  history. 
And  in  the  Baptists  is  verified  the  prediction  of  our  Sa- 
vior :  "  Ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations  for  my  name's 
sake/' 

In  following  up  the  Baptist  succession,  it  has  been  fully 
shown  that  their  historic  chain  has  neither  been  disturbed 
by  the  secession  of  the  ^^  Hard-Shell "  Baptists,  nor  the 
apostacy  of  the  Campbellites ;  and  it  has  been  abundantly 
shown  that  the  Roger  Williams  affair  has  not  even  pro- 
duced a  ripple  upon  the  flowing  stream  of  Baptist  suc- 
cession. 

The  Atlantic  Cable  of  succession  connecting  the  Bap- 
tists of  Europe"  and  America,  is  composed  of  numerous 
cords  in  the  persons  of  Baptist  ministers,  members,  and 
even  churches,  which  emigrated  to  this  country.  How 
grand  and  poetic  the .  occurrence  of  a  Baptist  church 
leaving  their  native  homes  in  Wales,  with  all  the  endear- 
ing ties  of  kindred  and  friends,  to  undertake  the  danger- 
ous experiment  of  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  ocean  to 
the  then  wilderness  of  America,  to  plant  the  standard  of 
a  pure  Christianity  among  the  savages  of  the  New  World. 

Poets  and  statesmen  have  united  to  swell  the  sounding 
praises  of  the  May  Flower  and  its  cargo  of  Pilgrims,  who 
only  fled  from  persecution  to  become  themselves  the  bitter 
persecutors  of  the  hated  Baptists  and  Quakers-  But^ 
what  bard,  historian,  or  statesman,  is  kind  enough  to 
give  the  name,  mark  the  course,  and  record  the  incidents 
of  the  voyage  of  that  favored  vessel,  which  conveyed  the 
Welsh  Tract  church  from  the  shores  of  Europe  across 
the  briny  deep,  to  find  a  home  in  the  deep,  tangled  forests 


78  English  ^aptisti 


of  America,  where  tliey  might  unfurl  the  banner  of  reli- 
gious liberty,  which  should  never  be  stained  by  the  foul 
blot  of  persecution?  Or,  who  can  furnish  the  history  of 
ihat  ship  which  bore  the  heroic  John  Clarke  from  London 
to  the  American  shores?  Must  it  be  left  to  ocean  winds 
and  waves  to  sing  the  praises  of  these  pioneers  of  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  in  America?  Perchance  these  favored 
vessels  were  guarded  in  their  perilous  voyages  by  angelic 
legions,  who  have  treasured  up  in  the  archives  of  heaven 
the  details  of  the  adventures  and  sufferings  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  ^^  sect  ^^  which  is  every-where  spoken  against. 
AVe  find  the  name  of  the  vessel  in  which  the  Welsh  Tract 
church  sailed,  preserved  by  Davis  in  his  History  of  the 
Welsh  Baptists.     Mr.  Davis  says:  "In  the  year  1701,  he 

(Thomas  Griffiths)  and  fifteen  of  the  mem- 
avis  IS.  esi  -^^^^  ^^ ^^^^  church  went  to  America  in  the 
JJapt.,  p.  /2. 

same    vessel.     They   formed    themselves 

into  a  church  at  Milford,  in  the  county  of  Pembroke, 
South  Wales,  and  Thomas  Griffiths  became  their  pastor 
in  the  month  of  June,  1701.  They  embarked  on  board 
the  ship  James  and  3fary,  and  on  the  8th  day  of  Septem- 
ber following,  they  landed  at  Philadelphia.  The  brethren 
there  treated  them  courteously,  and  advised  them  to  settle 
about  Penejoeck.  Thither  they  went,  and  there  continued 
about  a  year  and  half.  During  that  time  twenty-one  per- 
sons joined  them,  but  finding  it  inconvenient  to  abide 
there,  they  purchased  land  in  the  county  of  Newcastle,  and 
gave  it  the  name  of  Welsh  Tract,  where  they  built  a  loeet- 
ing-house,  and  Thomas  Griffiths  labored  among  th^sm  as 
their  pastor  till  he  died,  on  the  25th  of  July,  1725,  aged 
eighty  years.^'  How  deeply  interesting  must  have  been  the 
church  meetings  of  this  Baptist  church  when  they  galliered 


English  baptists  not  from  John  Smith.      70 

for  the  worship  of  God,  from  time  to  time,  as  they  sailed  on 
the  bosom  of  the  mighty  deep,  and  rode  the  boisterous  waves 
of  the  stormy  ocean.  And  when  first  they  met  in  church 
meetings  in  the  wilds  of  Pennepeck  and  Welsh  Tract,  sur- 
rounded by  savage  beasts  and  still  more  savage  Indians,  how 
solemn  must  have  been  their  devotions.  In  ascending  the 
stream  of  Baptist  succession,  we  have  passed  from  the  scenes 
of  persecution,  fines,  imprisonments,  and  stripes,  in  Virginia 
and  Massachusetts,  up  to  the  planting  the  first  American 
churches ;  and  from  thence  across  the  broad  Atlantic  back 
to  the  mountain  fastnesses  of  Wales,  and  the  Baptist 
churches  of  England.  But  where  did  the  English  Bap- 
tists originate?  We  are  told  by  some,  who  profess  to  be 
our  friends,  that  the  English  -Baptists  originated  with  one 
John  Smith,  who  baptized  himself  and  others;  and  thus 
originated  the  Baptists  of  England.  And  here,  they  tell 
us  that  the  Baptist  chain  of  succession  is  broken. 

Mr.  Thomas  Wall  shows  his  aversion  of  Baptists  by 
the  following  statement:  "One  John  Smith,  being  more 
desperately  wicked  than  others,  baptized 

himself,  and  then  he  baptized  others,  and      '  os  y  s    is.    ng. 
1  .  ^  ^  - .  .  ,   ^    .       Bapt,  vol.  I,  p.  9o. 

from  this  man  the  English  Anabaptists 

have  successively  received  their  new  administration  of 
baptism  on  men  and  women  only.^^ 

Is  it  a  fact,  that  the  Baptists  of  England  originated,  as 
charged,  from  John  Smith  the  Sebaptist?  Instead  of 
this,  it  will  be  seen  that  John  Smith  was  never  an  English 
Baptist  in  his  life.  As  to  the  dispute,  whether  John 
Smith  baptized  himself  or  not,  this  has  no  bearing  on  the 
question  of  the  rise  of  the  English  Baptists.  The  English 
Baptists  have  been  fearfully  misrepresented  by  their  adver- 
saries, who  have  delight-ed,  it  appears,  to  dip  their  i>ens 


80  English  (Baptists. 

in  the  "juice  of  gall"  when  writing  concerning  the  hated 
Anabaptists.    Crosby,  the  historian,  remarks  on  this  point : 

"Notwithstanding  so  much  which  has 
Crosby's  His.  Eng.  \^qq^^  g^id^  and  much  more  which  might 
jjj  p  43     '       *    have  been  said,  in  favor  of  the  English 

BaptistSj  yet  there  is  hardly  any  party  or 
denomination  of  Christians  that  have  been  so  basely  mis- 
represented, and  unkindly  treated  in  the  world,  as  they. 
Whenever  there  has  been  any  persecution,  they,  if  any  in 
those  countries,  have  been  sure  to  feel  the  hottest  part  of 
it.  The  books  written  against  them  are  not  only  very  nu- 
merous, but  commonly  filled  with  foolish  and  scandalous 
stories,  to  render  them  odious;  and  the  histories  of  this 
people,  that  are  yet  extant,  are,  for  the  most  part,  such  as 
have  been  published  by  their  greatest  adversaries."  And 
from  all  the  developments  in  the  case,  the  se-baptism  of 
John  Smith  is  one  of  those  silly  stories  circulated  by  the 
enemies  of  Baptists.     Mr.  Ivimey  says,  on  this  question : 

"  There  is  no  doubt  but  this  silly  charge 
Ivimey  s  His.  Eng.  ^^^g  fabricated  by  his  enemies ;  and  it  is 
j^^-   *'      *  an  astonishing  instance  of  credulity,  that 

writers  of  eminent  talents  have  contrib- 
uted to  perpetuate  the  slander."  It  is  now  pretty  well 
settled  that  John  Smith  received  his  baptism  like  Roger 
Williams;  viz:  he  and  one  of  his  companions  are  sup- 
posed to  have  baptized  each  other,  and  then  the  rest  of  the 
company.  With  us  it  is  of  little  consequence  whether 
Smith  was  baptized  by  himself  or  one  of  his  unbap- 
tized  company;  for  in  neither  case  could  his  baptism  be 
valid.  I  have  gathered  the  following  facts  in  regard  to 
John  Smith  and  his  company : — First.  John  Smith  was  a 
minister  of  the  -established  Church  of  England.    Second. 


English  (Baptists  not  from  John  Smith.      81 


About  tlie  year  1606,  Mr.  Smith  led  a  company  of  ex- 
iles—  Sejoaratists  or  Brownists  —  from  England  to  Am- 
sterdam, in  Holland.  Third.  He  here  united  with  the 
English  church  of  Brownists,  under  the  pastorship  of  Mr. 
Ainsworth.  Fourth.  A  difficulty  occurred  in  Mr.  Ains- 
worth^s  church,  on  account  of  John  Smithes  opposition  to 
infant  baptism,  which  resulted  in  the  exclusion  of  Smith 
and  his  party  from  said  church.  Fifth.  John  Smith  and 
his  party  proceeded  to  administer  baptism,  and  to  the  for- 
mation of  a  church.  There  is  no  evidence  that  Smith 
baptized  himself,  but  it  is  probable  that  one  of  his-  com- 
pany baptized  him.  Sixth.  John  Smith  and  a  part  of 
his  company  soon  became  dissatisfied  with  their  rash  pro- 
ceedings, upon  w^hich  a  difficulty  arose  between  them  and 
the  majority  of  the  church,  on  account  of  which  Smith 
and  his  party  were  excluded.  Thus,  it  appears  that  John 
Smith  was  excluded  from  this  "  Baptist  church  ^'  of  which 
he  was  the  founder.     Of  this,  Mr.  Evans,  the  historian, 

says :  ''  It  is  admitted,  on  all  hands,  that, 
c  xi        xi       1         1-  Evans^  Early  Enq. 

irom  some  cause  or  other,  the  church  over  „    ^      7  7      oao 
^  Baj)t.,voL  I, -p,  20s. 

which  Smith  and  Helwys  presided  was 
divided,  but  the  cause  of  division  is  not  so  manifest. 
Smith,  with  some  twenty-four  persons,  was  excluded  from 
the  church,  and  these  sought  communion  with  one  of  the 
Mennonite  churches  in  the  city.^^ 

Seventh.  Mr.  Smith  repudiated  his  own  baptism  and 
church  organization  as  invalid,  and,  with  his  party,  sought 
admission  into  one  of  the  Mennonite  churches  at  Amster- 
dam, and  was  received  after  making  the  following  confes- 
sion ]   "  The  names  of  the  English  who    ^ 

°  ,       Evans  Larhj  Ln. 

confess  this  their  error,  and  repent  of  it,  Bapt,  vol.  I,  p. 
viz :  that  they  undertook  to  baptize  them-    209 ;  also,  p.  244. 


82 


English  (Baptists. 


selves,  contrary  to  the  order  appointed  by  Christ,  and  who 
now  desire,  on  this  account,  to  be  brought  baciv  to  the  true 
Church  of  Christ  as  quickly  as  may  be  suffered. 

We  unanimously  desire  that  this,  our  wish,  should  be 
signified  to  the  church. 


NAMES    OF    MEN. 

Hugh  Bromhead, 
Jarvase  Neville, 
JoHx  Smyth, 
Thomas  Caxadyne, 
Edward  Hankin, 
Johx  Hardy, 
Thomas  Pygott, 
Francis  Pygott, 
Robert  Stanley, 
Alexander  Fleming, 
Alexander  Hodgkins, 
John  Grindall, 
Solomon  Thompson, 
Samuel  Halton, 
Thomas  Dolphin. 


NAMES    OF    ATOMEN. 

Ann  Bromhead, 
Jane  South  worth, 
Mary  Smyth, 
Joan  Halton, 
Alis  Arnfield, 
Isabel  Thomson, 
Margaret  Stanley, 
Mary  Grindall, 
Mother  Pygott, 
Alis  Pygott, 
Margaret  Pygott, 
Betteris  Dickinson, 
Mary  Dickinson, 
Ellyn  Paynter, 
Alis  Parsons, 
Joane  Briggs, 
Jane  Argan." 


The  above  confession  may  also  be  found  in  Latin,  on 

page  2-44  of  Evans'  Early  Eng.  Bap.  His.,  Vol.  I. 

Eighth.    After  Mr.  Smith  and  his  party  were  "cast 

out  '^  from  his  own  church,  and  confessed 
Evans' Early Enq .   .n     .  •  .<•  ^      xi  ^ 

B    t    •  I  I     "^m  *^^^^^*  error  m  setting  up  lor  themselves, 

on  their  humble  petition,  they  were  re- 
ceived into  a  Mennonite  church,  whose  "mode  of  bap- 
tism was  by  sprinkling  or  affusion." 

Ninth.  Not  long  after  this,  1610,  John  Smith  died  in 
Holland.     He   never   returned  to    England.     He  never 


English  (Baptists  not  from  Jolin  Smith.      83 

belonged  to  any  English  Baptist  cliurcli;  neither  did  he 
ever  belong  to  a  legitimate  Baptist  church  at  all. 

Tenth.  Mr.  Hehvys,  the  early  companion  of  Smith, 
returned  to  England  with  a  few  of  the  remnant  of  Mr. 
Smith's  company,  in  1611  or  1612.  This  was  the  second 
diyision  in  the  John  Smith  church,  which  had  excluded 
its  founder. 

Eleventh.  The  remnant  of  the  John  Smith  church  left 
in  Amsterdam,  united  wdth  the  Mehnonite  church  in  1615, 
and  thus  became  extinct. 

Twelfth.  After  the  return  of  Helwys  to  London,  he 
formed  a  church,  w^hich  is  claimed  as  the 
first  General  Baptist  church  in  England.  ^'''^'fi'-^Jl^- 
Mis  labors,  noweyer,  were  not  attended 
with  yery  great  success.  And  admitting  it  to  be  true  that 
this  Helwys  church  was  the  first  church  in  England 
called  General  Baptists,  this  does  not  proye  that  the  Gen- 
eral Baptists  of  England  originated  with  this  church.  His- 
tory deyelops  the  fact  that  eyen  the  General  Baptists  of 
England  did  not,  as  a  class,  receiye  their  succession  and 
baptism  either  from  John  Smith  or  Mr.  Helwys. 

How  strange  that  the  mania  of  prejudice  should  haye 
ever  conceiyed  the  idea  of  constituting  John  Smith  the 
founder  of  the  English  Baptists ! 

This  unfortunate  man  desired  to  know  and  practice  the 
truth.  In  his  flight  from  Babylon,  he  left  the  Episco- 
palians and  joined  the  Brownists,  who  excluded  him  for 
opposing  their  traditions.  He  then  proceeded  to  admin- 
ister baptism  and  organize  his  society,  which  some  histo- 
rians call  a  Baptist  church,  from  which  he  was  also  soon 
excluded.  And  he,  with  his  party,  denied  his  baptism 
and  church  organization,  professed  repentance,  sought  ad- 


84  English  (Baptists. 

mission,  and  was  received  into  a  Mennonite  church,  which, 
according  to  Mr.  Evans,  was  not  a  Baptist  church  at  all. 
And  yet  our  adversaries  will  point  to  John  Smith  as  the 
founder  of  the  Ei^glish  Baptists ! 

I  now  close  this  section  on  the  Smith  affair,  with  the 
testimony  of  Mr.  Crosby,  the  historian,  as  follows:  "If 

he  (John  Smith)  were  guilty  of  what  they 
I     y  s    i^.    iig.   (.]-^^p™g  j^^j^-^  with,  ^tis  no  blemish  on  the 
BapL,  vol.  I,  p.  99.  °  ' 

English  Baptists;  who  neither  approved 

of  any  such  method,  nor  did  they  receive  their  baptism 
from  him.^^ 

Here  is  the  testimony  of  the  English  Baptist  historian, 
who  affirms  that  the  English  Baptists  did  not  receive  their 
baptism  from  Smith. '  The  English  Baptists  are  certainly 
as  well  qualified  to  tell  their  own  origin  as  any  others. 


Section  II. — The  English  baptists  aee  descended 
from  the  geeman  baptists. 

We  now  come  to  the  direct  question — "  Where  did  the 
English  Baptists  originate?'^  Historians  admit  that  per- 
sons holding  Baptist  views,  have  existed  in  various  parts 
of  England  and  Wales  from  very  early  times.  This  may 
be  seen  from  the  proclamations  and  edicts  of  kings  against 
the  hated  "Anabaptists.'^  The  same  is  shown  by  Davis, 
in  his  History  of  the  Welsh  Baptists;  and  by  Crosby, 
Orchard,  and  Evans,  in  their  histories  of  English  Baptists. 

It  is  an  egregious  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  English 
Baptists  had  their  rise  since  the  Reformation  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  But,  owing  to  the  fierce  and  continued 
persecutions  waged  against  them,  they  were  accustomed, 
as  much  as. possible,  to  conceal  themselves  from  public 


English  (Baptists  from  Germany.  85 

view.  They  frequently  met  in  private  houses,  or  barns, 
and  even  in  the  thick  forest  in  the  dead  of  night,  for  the 
worship  of  God ;  but  whenever  they  Avere  detected  by  the 
vigilance  of  Papal  spies,  they  were  seized  and  delivered 
over  to  the  vengeance  of  the  secular  arm.  And  from  the 
fact  that  all  their  books  and  records  were  diligently  sought 
and  burned  by  their  enemies,  we  have  but  little  material 
for  history,  except  the  prejudiced  statements  and  edicts  of 
their  enemies.  We  are,  however,  able  to  furnish  many 
instances  of  the  emigration  of  German  Baptists  to  England 
in  these  early  times.  Many  of  the  early  Baptists  of  Eng- 
land were  called  Lollards. 

Mr.  Crosby,  the  historian,  says :   "  In  the  tmie  of  King 
Edward  the  Second,  about  the  year  1315, 
Walter  Lollard,  a  German  preacher,  a  man    ^'^osby's  His.  Eng. 
p  ,  xi       TTr  7  7  Baptists,   vol.   II, 

01   great  renown   among  the   Watdenses,      ,^|.       ^^ 

came  into  England ;  he  spread  their  doc- 
trines very  much  in  these  parts,  so  that  afterward  they 
went  by  the  name  of  LollardsJ' 

That  these  Lollards  were  Baptists,  who  had  their  de- 
scent through  the  German  Baptists,  from 

the  ancient  Waldenses,  is  shown  by  Mr.     Orchard's    Eng. 

''  Bavt.,  p.  118. 

Orchard.      "  The    Lollards'    Tower,''  in        ^    ^ 

which  these  witnesses  for  Christ  suffered,  still  stands  in. 

London,  as  a  monument  of  Papal  cruelty  toward  these 

ancient  English  Baptists.     Of  the  Baptists  of  England, 

"  Bishop  jBitrne^  says:  ^  At  this  time  (Anno  1549)  there 

were  many  Anabaptists  in  several  parts 

of  England.     Thev  were  2:enerally  Ger-       '^j  ^'  \^o'     ' 

1         ^1      '        w         ^111    P^^^-'  P-  ^^• 
mans,  whom  the    revolutions   there    had 

forced  to  change  their  seats.'  "  In  this  we  have  the  testi- 
mony of  Burnet,  that  the  early  English  Baptists,  called 


SQ  English  (Baptists. 

Anabaptists,  were  from  Germany,  and  were  numerous, 
long  before  the  John  Smith  affair,  in  Holland.  In  tho 
year  1538,  King  Henry  YIII.,  issued  a  proclamation 
against  the  Anabaptists  (Baptists)  and  others;  and  in 
the  same  year.  Archbishop  Cranmer  received  a  commis- 
sion   "to  inquire  after  Anabaptists,  to  proceed  against 

them,   to   restore   the   penitent,   to   burn 
7  OS  y,  vo  .    ,      their  books,  and  to  deliver  the  obstinate 

to  the  secular  arm/^  And  of  this  time, 
"  Mr.  Fuller  tells  us,    ^  that  in  this  year,  a  match  being 

made  by  the  Lord   CromwelFs  contriv- 
1  osy,  vo  .    ,       r^jice,  between  King  Henry  and  the  Lady 

Anne  of  Cleve,  Dutchmen  flocked  faster 
than  formerly  into  England,  and  soon  after  began  to 
broach  their  strange  opinions,  being  branded  with  the 
general  name  of  Anabaptists.  These  Anabaptists,'  he 
adds,  ^for  the  main,  are  but  DonatistSj  new  dipt;  and 
this  year  their  name  first  appears  in  our  English  Chroni- 
cles. I  read,'  says  he,  ^  that  four  Anabaptists,  three  men 
and  one  woman,  all  Dutch,  bare  faggots  at  PauVs  cross ; 
and  three  days  after,  a  man  and  a  woman  of  their  sect, 
were  burnt  in  Smithfield.' '' 

This  is  the  testimony  of  Thomas  Fuller,  a  historian  of 
the  Church  of  England,  that  Dutch  Baptists  (Anabap- 
tists) flocked  into  England  in  the  year  1538,  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  YIIL,  long  before  the  time  of  John  Smith. 

But  we  have  still  more  direct  testimony  concerning 
the  succession  of  the  more  modern  English  Baptists,  from 
whom  the  Baptists  of  America  descended.  In  the  year 
1633  a  large  number  of  Pedobaptists,  belonging  to  the 
Independents,  became  convinced  of  the  correctness  of  Bap- 
tist principles.     They  were  puzzled  at  first  as  to  the  best 


English  (Baptists  from  Germany.  87 

method  of  obtaining  valid  baptism.  They  appointed  one 
of  their  number,  Richard  Blunt,  to  visit  Holland  and 
there  receive  baptism  from  a  church  which  was  known  to 
be  in  the  regular  succession  from  the  ancient  A7aldenses. 
Mr.  Crosby  introduces  the  testimony  of  William  Kiffin  as 
follows :  "  This  agrees  with  an  account  given  of  the  mat- 
ter in  an  ancient  manuscript,  said  to  be 

written  by  Mr,  William  Kiffin,  who  lived    f ';^%;^-«^- ^>  PP- 

-'  ,  -^     -^  101-102;  see  also, 

in   those  times,  and  was  a  leader  among     Tvimey  vol.  I  p. 

those  of  that  persuasion.  143;  NeaVs  His. 

This  relates,   that    several    sober  and    ^^''-j  ^^^-^  ^^y  P- 

11        .        X     xi  361  ;      Orchard, 

pious  persons  belonging  to  the  congrega-     ^  ,  '„      ^^^^    ' 

tions  of  the  dissenters  about  London,  were 
convinced  that  believers  were  the  only  proper  subjects  of 
baptism,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  administered  by  immer- 
sion or  dipjmig  the  whole  body  into  the  water,  in  resem- 
blance of  a  burial  ixnd  7^esurrection,  accordmg  to  Colos.  ii: 
12,  and  Rom.  vi:  4.  That  they  often  met  together  to 
pray  and  confer  about  this  matter,  and  consult  what 
methods  they  should  take  to  enjoy  this  ordinance  in  its 
primitive  purity :  That  they  could  not  be  satisfied  about 
any  administrator  in  England  to  begin  this  practice;  be- 
cause, though  some  in  this  nation  rejected  the  baptism  of 
infants,  yet  they  had  not,  as  they  knew  of,  revived  the 
ancient  custom  of  immersion.  But,  hearing  that  some  in 
the  NetJierlands  practiced  it,  they  agreed  to  send  over  one 
Mr.  Richard  Blunt,  who  understood  the  Dutch  laiiOTaw: 
That  he  went  accordingly,  carrying  letters  of  recommend- 
ation with  him,  and  was  kindly  received  both  by  the 
church  there,  and  Mr.  John  Batte,  their  teacher :  That 
upon  his  return  he  baptized  Mr.  Samuel  Blacldock,  a 
minister,  and   these  two  baptized  the  rest  of  their  com- 


88  English  (Baptists. 

pany,  whose  names  are  in  the  manuscript  to  the  number 
of  fifty-three. 

So  that  those  who  followed  this  scheme  did  not  receive 
their  baj)Usm  from  the  aforesaid  Mr.  Smithy  or  his  congre- 
gation at  Amsterdam.,  it  being  an  ancient  congregation  of 
foreign  Baptists  in  the  low  countries  to  whom  they  sent.^' 

Here  we  have  the  undisputed  historic  fact,  that  the 
Baptists  of  London  were  so  careful  to  obtain  valid  bap- 
tism that  they  delegated  Richard  Blunt,  formerly  a  Pedo- 
baptist  minister,  to  visit  a  regular  Baptist  church,  at 
Amsterdam,  in  Holland,  which  belonged  to  the  old  Wal- 
densean  succession.  And  after  the  baptism  of  Richard 
Blunt  by  John  Batte,  by  the  authority  of  said  church,  he 
returned  to  London  and  baptized  Samuel  Blacklock,  and 
they  baptized  the  rest  of  the  company,  to  the  number 
of  fifty-three  members ;  and  thus  was  formed  a  Baptist 
church,  which  was  afterward  recognized  as  a  Particular 
Baptist  church.  And  from  this  influential  church  has 
flown    the  stream  of  succession  down  to  the  present  time. 

We  have  now  seen  that  the  English  Baptists,  instead 
of  originating  with  John  Smith,  have  descended  from  the 
Dutch  and  German  Baptists,  who  descended  from  the 
ancient  Waldenses.  In  following  up  the  succession  of 
Baptists,  we  have  found  them  in  England,  suffering  almost 
incredible  hardships  and  persecutions  under  the  bloody 
reigns  of  James  and  his  father,  Charles  11.  In  these  fear- 
ful times  it  was  no  light  matter  to  become  a  Baptist.  It 
involved  the  renunciation  of  the  grandeur  and  honors  ol 
the  world,  and  to  become  the  objects  of  Papal  and  Pro- 
testant cruelties.  They  were  the  faithful  martyrs  who 
were  hunted  down  by  the  blood-hounds,  in  human  form, 
of  the  established  Church,  as  though  they  had  been  wild 


English  (Baptists  from  Germany.  89 

beasts.  And  about  this  time  many  of  them,  fleeing  from 
persecution,  emigrated  to  America.  And,  also, -we  have 
seen  that,  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  in  more  remote 
periods,  the  Dutch  Baptists  bore  witness  for  Christ  in 
]^]n gland  at  the  sacrifice  of  their  lives.  And  it  has  been 
shown  that  companies  of  Dutch  Baptists  flocked  into 
England,  from  time  to  time,  and  propagated  their  prin- 
ciples long  before  the  London  Dissenters  embraced  Bap- 
tist principles,  and  sent  Richard  Blunt  to  the  continent 
to  receive  baptism.  But  it  is  not  our  purpose  to  attempt 
to  follow  up  all  the  chains  of  succession  which  connect 
the  English  Baptists  with  the  old  Waldensean  Bai3tists 
of  Germany.  At  the  present,  J  am  only  tracing  the  most 
direct  line  which  connects  the  English  with  the  German 
Baptists. 

And  for  the  present  we  take  our  leave  of  the  English 
Baptists ;  and  from  the  British  Isles,  cross  the  North  Sea 
to  the  Netherlands.  And  here  we  find  the  Baptists,  with 
the  same  heaven-born  principles,  amidst  the  frowning 
monarchies  and  despotisms  of  continental  Europe,  bearing 
the  same  unflinching  testimony  for  religious  liberty  which 
they  have  borne  in  England  and  America.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  in  the  term  German  BaptistSj  we  include 
the  Dutch  Baptists  also.  As  already  intimated,  many  of 
the  German  Baptists  had,  from  time  to  time,  emigrated  to 
England;  but  they  were  so  sorely  persecuted  that  they 
were  sometimes  driven  to  other  countries,  or  compelled 
to  secrete  themselves  from  the  view  of  the  public.  For 
long  years,  it  was  the  policy  of  the  English  Baptists  to 
avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  the  notice  of  the  authoritips 
of  government;  and  in  order  to  this,  they  studiously 
avoided  any  communications  with  the  Pedobaptists  of  all 


90  English  baptists. 


classes ;  because  the  Protestants  were  almost  as  bitter  in 
their  persecutions  against  the  English  Baptists  as  were  the 
Catholics.  Taking  this  view  of  the  condition  of  the  Bap- 
tists of  England  at  this  time^  it  is  no  wonder  that  these 
Pedobaptists  were  not  well  posted  in  the  affairs  of  the  Bap- 
tists of  England.  Their  want  of  knowledge  on  this  point, 
is  no  evidence  that  there  were  no  true  Baptists  in  England 
at  this  time.  Though  some  of  the  English  Baptist  histo- 
rians were  of  opinion  that  the  sending  to  the  continent  to 
get  valid  baptism  was  unnecessary,  yet  it  was  their  duty 
to  do  this,  if  they  knew  of  no  Scriptural  administrator 
nearer.  No  one  can  plead  the  authority  of  the  Scriptures 
for  "  alien  ^^  baptisms.  It  is  certainly  much  safer  to  be 
guided  by  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  apostles,  in 
tJiis  as  all  other  matters  of  religious  duty. 


(Bat'tist  Succession.  91 


CHAPTER    V.    . 

GERMAN    BAPTISTS. 

1.  The  Geeman  Baptists  did  kot  Grigiitate  with  the  Mun-- 

STER   ElOT. 

2.  The  Germain  Baptists  Descexded  from  the  Ancient  Wal- 

denses. 

Section  I. —  The  German  baptists  did  not  origin- 
ate WITH   THE   MUNSTER   RIOT. 

It  appears  that  in  every  age,  from  the  time  of  Christ, 
the  Baptist  denomination  has  been  made  the  scape-goat 
to  bear  the  sins  of  the  world.  Almost  every  crime  knoAvn 
to  earth,  has  been  laid  to  their  charge.  They  are  consid- 
ered the  enemies  of  governments,  ringleaders  of  sedition 
and  revolution,  and  obstinate  and  incurable  heretics.  It 
has  been  supposed  that  earthquakes,  wars,  famines,  and 
pestilences,  have  been  sent  upon  the  human  family  on 
account  of  the  crimes  of  the  Baptists.  And  it  is  now 
gravely  stated,  by  a  certain  class  of  ^^  charitable  ^^  writers, 
who  have  not  the  power,  as  did  their  fathers,  to  imprison 
and  burn  Baptists,  that  the  Baptist  denomination  origina- 
ted with  the  Munster  riot  in  Germany,  about  the  year  1525. 
And  this  class  of  men  are  generally  very  clamorous  about 
Baptist  "  Close  Communion.'^  But  did  the  Baptists  orig- 
inate with  the  madmen  of  Munster?  Upon  an  investiga- 
tion of  the  history  of  the  jNIunster  affair,  the  following  facts 
are  developed: 

1.  The  Munster  rebellion  did  not  arise  from  any  reHg- 


92  German  (Baptists. 


ious,  or  denominational,  opinions  whatever,  but  in  order 
to  resist  the  oppressions  of  the  despotic  governments  of 
Germany.  Of  the  miserable  condition  of  this  wretched 
people,  Mr.  Rojbinson,  the  historian,  says :  "  The  condi- 
tion of  the  peasants  in  Germany,  in  the  year  twenty-four 
[1524],  was  deplorable,  if  there  be  any- 
thing  to  deplore  m  a  deprivation  ol  most    ^  ^^^ 

of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  rational  crea- 
tures. The  feudal  system,  that  execration  in  the  eyes  of 
every  being  that  merits  the  name  of  man,  had  been  estab- 
lished in  early  ages  in  Germany,  in  all  its  rigor  and  hor- 
ror. It  had  been  planted  with  a  sword  reeking  with 
human  gore,  in  the  night  of  barbarism,  when  cannibals 
drank  the  warm  blood  of  one  enemy  out  of  the  skull  of 
another,  and  it  had  shot  its  venomous  fibers  every  way, 
rioted  itself  in  every  transaction ;  in  religion,  in  law,  in 
diversions,  in  everything  secular  and  sacred,  so  that  the 
wretched  rustics  had  only  one  prospect  for  themselves  and 
all  their  posterity — one  horrid  prospect  of  everlasting 
slavery." 

And  of  the  effort  of  this  unfortunate  people  to  break 
the  iron  yoke  of  tyranny,  the  author  of  the  Religious 
Encyclopedia  says  :  "  Munzer,  and  his  associates,  in  the 
year  1525,  put  themselves  at  the  head  of  a 
numerous  army,  and  declared  war  against  ^  ^g^ous  najc, 
U  laws,  governments,  and  magistrates  of 
every  kind,  under  the  chimerical  pretext  that  Christ  him- 
self was  now  to  take  the  reins  of  all  governments  into 
his  hands :  but  this  seditious  crowd  was  routed  and  dis- 
persed by  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  and  other  Princes,  and 
Munzer,  their  leader,  put  to  death."  The  Religious  Encyc, 
riame  author  adds  :  "  It  must  be  acknowl-    p.  77. 


The  Munster  (Riot.  93 

edged  that  the  true  rise  of  the  insurrections  of  this  period 
ought  not  to  be  attributed  to  religious  opinions/' 

2.  The  prime  movers  of  the  Munster  riot  were  Pedo- 
baptists. 

Mr.  Benedict  says  :  "  It -is  certain  that  the  disturbances 
in  the  very  city  of  Munster,  were  begun  by  a  Pedobap- 
.tist  minister,  of  the  Lutheran  persuasion,  whose  name 
was  Bernard  Rotman,  or  Rothman ;  that  he  was  assisted 
in  his  endeavors  by  other  ministers  of  the  same  persua- 
sion ;  and  that  they  began  to  stir  up  tumults,  that  is,  teach 
revolutionary  principles,  a  year  before  the  Anabaptist 
*  ringleaders,'  as  they  are  called,  visited  the  place.  These 
things  the  Papists  knew,  and  they  failed  not  to  improve 
them  to  their  own  advantage.  They  uniformly  insisted 
that  Luther's  doctrine  led  to  rebellion,  that  his  disciples 
were  the  prime  movers  of  the  insurrections,  and  they  also 
asserted  that  a  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  Lutherans 
perished  in  the  rustic  war." 

3.  If  the  testimony  of  their  enemies  is  entitled  to  credit, 
the  Munsterites,  in  their  practices,  very  much  resemble 
the  Mormons  of  our  day.  And  it  would  be  as  legitimate 
to  charge  the  Baptists  with  the  Mormon  abominations,  as 
with  the  excesses  of  the  frenzied  German  peasants  of  the 
sixteenth  century. 

4.  The  most  of  these  insurgents  w^ere  of  no  religion. 
They  entered  the  rebellion  as  men  driven  to  desperation, 
in  order  to  gain  their  independence.  But  it  is  freely  ad- 
mitted that  some  Catholics,  some  Lutherans,  and  some  so- 
called  Anabaptists,  were  engaged  in  this  struggle  for  free- 
dom. 

5.  These  deluded  fanatics  were  finally  destroyed  in 
battle. 


94  German  (Baptists. 


Of  tlieir  destruction  Mr.  Orchard  says:     '^ These  op- 
pressed men  were  consequently  met    by 
His  Bap.,  vol  I,     ^j^^.^,  lords  with  a  sword,  instead  of  re- 
p.  3o6.  .  ' 

dress;  being  defeated,  they  were  slaugh- 
tered and  reproached — the  invariable  results  and  concom- 
itants of  defeat ;  Munzer,  their  friend  and  chief,  was  put 
to  death. 

6.  It  is  extremely  unjust,  therefore,  to  censure  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  for  the  impro23rieties  of  some  of  its 
members  who  were,  or  may  have  been,  seduced  into  fanat- 
icism and  turbulence.  Of  the  unjustness  of  these  asper- 
sions, Mr.  Evans  says :  ''  Historians  of  a  certain  class,  and 
partisan  writers,  have  been  fond  of  desig- 
vans  ary  ng.  ^^^:^^^  j^g  'Anabaptists,^  and  gathering 
around  us  all  those  elements  of  social  dis- 
order and  fearful  profligacy  which  the  scenes  of  Munster, 
and  the  mad  vagaries  of  Stork  and  his  brethren,  ever  sug- 
gest. Hard  have  they  labored  to  identify  us  with  these 
men.  We  are  not  careful  to  answer  them  in  this  matter. 
The  men  that  shrunk  not  from  the  severe  privations  of 
the  jail,  and  the  more  terrible  punishment  of  the  stake, 
were  not  affected  much  by  a  name.  It  answered  the  pur- 
pose of  their  adversaries  for  a  time ;  but  they  were  blind 
to  the  logical  consequences  of  their  own  position.  They 
forgot,  in  the  fullness  of  their  malice,  the  retribution  to 
which  they  were  exposing  themselves.  To  trace  the  sad 
events  which  resulted  from  the  efforts  to  secure  social 
freedom,  to  the  doctrines  that  the  individuaL  consciousness 
of  God's  claim  on  man's  affections,  and  that  the  Christian 
profession  is  only  made  by  an  immersion  of  the  individual 
in  water,  ^  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost';  is  only  to  lay  open  their  own  system  to 


The  Munster  (kiot.  95 

the  most  crushing  retort.  It  were  just  as  easy  to  demon- 
strate that  the  world  has  been  the  vast  theater  on  which 
Pedobaptists  have  perpetrated  crimes  at  which  humanity 
shudders,  and  over  which  piety  and  virtue  must  weep,  as 
that  the  Anabaptists,  as  a  body,  were  found  steeped  in 
crime  and  reveling  in  lust/^ 

Thus  it  is  shown  by  Mr.  Evans  that  if  the  Baptists  are 
liable  to  censure,  simply  because  some  of  the  Munster 
fanatics  rejected  infant  baptism,  then,  on  the  same  princi- 
ples, the  Pedobaptists  are  chargeable  with  all  the  crimes 
committed  by  their  Catholic  ancestors.  For  instance,  who 
instituted  the  Inquisition  ?  Pedobaptists.  Who  preached 
up  the  crusades  against  the  ancient  AYaldenses?  Pedo- 
baptists. Who  are  guilty  of  the  blood  of  sixty  millions  of 
the  saints  for  conscience  sake  ?  Pedobaptists.  But  these 
things  are  passed  over  lightly  by  our  accusers;  and  be- 
cause some  deluded  Anabaptists  of  Germany  joined  in  a 
death  struggle  for  liberty,  the  Baptists,  as  a  denomination, 
are  stigmatized  as  originating  the  Munster  riot!  The 
injustice  of  these  charges  is  shown  by  Mr.  D'Anvers,  as 
follows :  "  That  take  it  for  granted,  that  things  were  so  as 
to  matter  of  fact,  that  many  Anabaptists 
did  prove  so  horribly  loichcd,  as  Spanhe-  ^  ^^^^^099 
miuSj  Sleidan,  Osiander,  and  others  do 
report,  yet  how  unreasonable  and  uncharitable  would  it 
be  to  render  all  this  people,  either  in  those  times  or  since, 
to  be  such  persons  also;  and  to  judge  an  error  in  the  prin- 
ciple from  the  error  in  conversation  of  some  that  have 
professed  it;  for  by  the  same  rule  may  not  the  purest  state 
of  the  church,  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  be 
censured  and  judged;  who  had  their  Chorals,  Judas'  and 
Diotrephes\  among  them?     But  that  others  that  owned 


96  Ger'^nan  baptists. 


that  principle,  were  men  of  another  spirit,  both  in  that  as 
well  as  former  and  latter  times,  you  have  most  ample  and 
authentic  testimony  from  their  greatest  enemies.'^ 

But  in  no  sense  can  it  be  stated  that  the  Baptists  origin- 
ated with  the  Munster  rebellion.  It  would  be  as  legiti- 
mate for  future  historians  to  contend  that  the  American 
Baptists  originated  with  the  Mormon  movement  as  for 
one  to  affirm  that  the  German  Baptists  started  with  the 
Munster  movement.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  German 
Baptists  existed  under  the  name  of  Anabaptists  long  be- 
fore this  unhappy  affair.  Mr.  Brown,  editor  of  the  Re- 
^  ligious  Encyclopedia  says:  "It  is  but  jus- 
tice to  observe,  also,  that  the  Baptists  in 
Holland,  England,  and  the  United  States,  are  to  be  con- 
sidered as  entirely  distinct  from  those  seditious  and  fanat- 
ical individuals  above  mentioned,  as  they  profess  an  equal 
aversion  to  all  principles  of  rebellion  on  the  one  hand,  and 
of-  enthusiasm  on  the  «ther. — Buclz's  T/ieol.  Dictionary ; 
3Iilneys  Church  History  ;  Robinson'' s  Eccl.  Researches ; 
EncyclojJedia  America;  Benedicts  History  of  the  Bap- 
tistsJ^  These  writers  are  too  candid  to  associate  the  Bap- 
tists with  the  Munster  riot.    D'Aubigne,  an  eminent  Pedo- 

baptist  historian,  says :  '^  On  one  point  it 
Quoted  Intro,  to  ,  i  •      ,        • 

Q  7  ,  -.  ^  seems  necessary  to  guard  agamst  misap- 
prehension. Some  persons  imagine  that 
the  [Munster]  Anabaptists  of  the  times  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, and  the  Baptists  of  our  day,  are  the  same.  But  they 
are  as  different  as  possible.'^  This  is  the  testimony  of  a 
learned  historian,  who  declares  that  the  Baptists  are 
as  different  as  possible  from  the  Munster  Anabaptists. 
Again :  we  have  the  testimony  of  the  Eoyal  Encyclo- 
pedia, as  quoted  by  Mr.  Graves  in  the  Tri-Lemma.     Mr. 


The  Jvhmster  (kiot.  97 

Graves  says;  "This  great  work,  by  William  H.  Hall, 

_  .  ^  ^   Esq.,  with  other  learned,  ino;enuous  2;en- 

Tri-Lemma,]).  137.    ^    ^'  ,  .      -r        ?        •      .S.o 

tlemen,  was  begun  m  London,  m  libH, 

and  completed  in  three  large  folio  volumes.  In  the  article 
'Anabaptists/  after  recounting  the  excesses  of  Muntzer, 
Matthias,  Borkholdt,  and  others,  during  the  sixteenth 
century,  in  Germany,  the  Encyclopedia  proceeds:  ^It  is 
to  be  remarked  that  the  Baptists,  or  Mennonites,  in  Eng- 
land and  Holland  are  to  be  considered  in  a  very  different 
light  from  the  enthusiasts  we  have  been  describing;  and 
it  appears  equally  uncandid  and  invidious  to  trace  up 
their  distinguished  sentiments,  as  some  of  their  adversa- 
ries have  done,  to  those  obnoxious  characters,  and  then  to 
stop,  in  order,  as  it  were,  to  associate  with  it  the  ideas  of 
turbulence  and  fanaticism,  with  which  it  certainly  has  no 
natural  connection.  Their  coincidence  with  some  of 
those  oppressed  and  infatuated  people,  in  denying  baptism 
to  infants,  is  acknowledged  by  the  Baptists,  but  they  dis- 
avow the  practice  which  the  appellation  of  Anabaptist 
implies;  and  their  doctrines  seem  referable  to  a  more 
ancient  and  respectable  origin.  They  appear  supported  by 
history  in  considering  themselves  the  descendants  of  the 
AYaldenses,  who  were  so  grievously  oppressed  and  perse- 
cuted by  the  despotic  heads  of  the  Eomish  hierarchy.'  '^ 

Reader,  take  notice:  the  authors  of  the  Royal  Encyclo- 
pedia are  positive  in  their  statement  that  the  Baptists  have 
no  connection  with  the  Munster  mob;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, they  aJSirm  that  their  doctrines  seem  referable  to  a 
more  ancient  and  respectable  origin.  No  one  now,  except 
ua  extremely  wicked  or  ignorant  man,  will,  in  the  face  of 
these  historic  facts,  presume  to  affirm  that  the  Baptists 
originated' with  the  Munster  affair.    Again,  Mr.  Benedict, 


98  German  (Baptists. 

speaking  of  the  true  Baptists  of  these  times,  says  :  "  Their 
peace  principles,  and  those  on  oaths,  cap- 
en.  IS.  ap  .,  .^^1  punishment,  etc.,  were  the  same  be- 
fore the  rustic  war  as  afterward ;  and  may 
be  traced  down,  through  the  history  of  the  Waldenses 
and  other  evangelical  parties,  Ho  the  remote  depths  of 
antiquity.^  Menno  was,  indeed,  a  distinguished  teacher 
among  the  Anabaptists  during  the  whole  of  his  ministry ; 
but  Mosheim's  account  of  his  gathering  up  the  fragments 
of  the  society  after  their  dispersion,  and  re-organizing  them 
upon  new  and  better  principles,  is  not  at  all  sustained  by 
anything  that  appears  in  their  own  relations.  They  were 
the  same  people  in  policy  and  practice  before  Menno  came 
among  them  as  afterward.  We  see  them  almost  daily  on 
trial  in  the  criminal  courts;  and  never  were  a  people 
so  uniform,  and  I  may  say  so  dauntless,  in  their  religious 
professions,  as  were  the  German  Anabaptists  for  the  cen- 
tury and  a  half  now  under  review.  The  charges  against 
them  seemed  to  have  been  stereotyped  by  the  inquisitors, 
and  their  answers  were  uniform  as  to  matters  of  fact,  and 
always  mild  and  explicit;  and,  as  to  the  men  of  Munster 
or  Amsterdam  —  for  the  scenes  at  both  places  were  often 
referred  to  —  they  uniformly  answered:  'These  were  not 
our  brethren — we  have  no  fellowship  with  such  men.  The 
men  of  Munster  were  among  yourselves,'  or  of  your  party. 
They  did  not  admit,  or  even  intimate,  that  they  went  off  from 
them,  or  were  ever  in  their  connection.  But  they  bitterly 
complained  of  having  to  suffer  for  the  faults  of  others  that 
they  knew  nothing  about,  because  some  of  them  agreed 
with  them  in  rejecting  infant  baptism.'^  It  may  be  proper 
to  observe  here,  that  the  term  Mennonites  has,  in  history, 
been  applied  to  different  classes  of  religionists.     Menno 


Origin  of  the  German  (Baptists.  99 

liimself,  and  the  most  of  tlie  Mennonites  of  his  day,  were 
ptriet  Baptists  in  their  religious  views;  but  the  modern 
Mennonites  are  wholly  different :  they  practice  pouring  for 
baptism,  ^yhen  I  use  the  term  Mennonites,  in  this  work, 
as  synonymous  w^th  Baptists,  I  refer  to  the  true  Bap- 
tist Mennonites  of  old. 


Section  II. — The  German  baptists  descended  from 

THE  ANCIENT  WALDENSES. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  Dutch,  or  German,  Bap- 
tists Avere  called  "Anabaptists^^  and  Waldenses  inter- 
changably.  Baptists  have  ever  rejected  the  term  "Ana- 
baptist'^  as  not  applicable  to  themselves.  It  is  derived 
from  the  Greek  w^ords  ana,  anew  or  again,  and  baptizein, 
to  immerse  or  baptize;  and  means,  to  baptize  anew  or 
again.  Baptists  have  ever  held,  one  Lord,  one  faith,  and 
one  baptism;  and  when  they  baptize  those  who  have  re- 
ceived the  infant  rite,  or  have  been  immersed  without  the 
authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  do  not  regard  it  as  re- 
baptism,  as  they  regard  such  performances  as  invalid — no 
baptism  at  all.  And  when,  in  this  work,  we  speak  of  the 
Anabaptists  of  Germany,  we  do  not  allude  to  the  Munster 
Anabaptists. 

There  is  abundance  of  historic  evidence  of  the  fact  that 
the  people  called,  by  their  enemies,  "Anabaptists,"  ex- 
isted  in  Germany  long  before  the  Munster  insurrection ; 
but  how  and  where  did  they  originate?  The  witnesses 
already  quoted,  show  that  tliey  descended  from  the  ancient 
Waldenses.  In  thus  ascending  the  stream  of  Baptist  his- 
tory, we  have  passed  unscathed  beyond  the  Munster  riot, 
and  find  the  Baptists  still  grappling  with  the  combined 


100  German  ^Baptists. 

powers  of  the  world  in  sii^^port  of  religious  liberty,  and 
tlie  Bible  as  their  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  Of  the 
origin  of  the  German  Baptists,  who  were  called  Menno- 
nites,  Mosheim,  the  historian,  says :  "  It  may  be  observed, 

in  the  first  place,  that  the  Mennonites  are 
401  ""^  ^    ^^''    ^^^  entirely  in  an  error  when  they  boast  of 

their  descent  from  the  Waldenses,  Petro- 
brusians,  and  other  ancient  sects,  who  are  usually  consid- 
ered as  witnesses  of  the  truth,  in  times  of  general  dark- 
ness and  superstition.  Before  the  rise  of  Luther  and  Cal- 
vin, there  lay  concealed,  in  almost  all  the  countries  of  Eu- 
rope, particularly  in  Bohemia,  Moravia,  Switzerland,  and 
Germany,  many  persons,  who  adhered  tenaciously  to  the 
following  doctrine,  Avhich  the  Waldenses,  Wickliffites,  and 
Hussites,  had  maintained,  some  in  a  more  disguised,  and 
others  in  a  more  open  and  public  manner,  viz :  ^  That  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  or  the  visible  church  which  he  estab- 
lished upon  earth,  was  an  assembly  of  true  and  real  saints, 
and  ought,  therefore,  to  be  inaccessible  to  the  wicked  and 
unrighteous,  and  also  exempt  from  all  those  institutions 
which  human  prudence  suggests  to  oppose  the  progress  of 
iniquity,  or  to  correct  and  reform  transgressors.'^^  This  is 
very  important  testimony,  borne  by  the  learned  Mosheim, 
a  Lutheran,  Avho  was  intensely  opposed  to  the  Baptists, 
and  lived  in  Gottingen,  in  Germany.  Does  he  tell  us  that 
the  Mennonites,  or  "  Anabaptists,' '  originated  at  Mun- 
ster?  No.  He  informs  us  that  they  existed  before  the  time 
of  Luther  and  Calvin,  in  almost  all  the  countries  of  Eu- 
rope. In  following  up  the  succession  of  churches,  we  have 
now  entered  upon  a  period  of  our  history  before  the  Ref- 
ormation of  popery  in  the  sixteenth  century.  Yes;  be- 
fore— long  before — the  voice  of  the  Wittemburg  reformer 


Origin  of  the  German  ^a^tists.  101 

was  lieard  in  the  diet  of  Worms^  or  John  Calvin  had 
emerged  from  the  Romish  apostacy,  the  Baptists  were^ 
beaiing  aloft  the  blood-stained  banner  of  the  Cross  in  the 
fearful  conflict  with  the  Romish  Dragon.  In  speaking 
of  the  origin  of  Baptists,  Mosheim  remarks  that,  "The 

true  ori2:in  of  that  sect  which  acquired  the 

.       .  n    .       1         .       1        ,     .        -,       Ch.  His.,  p.  490. 

denomination  oi  Anabaptists  by  their  ad- 
ministering anew  the  rite  of  baptism  to  those  who  came 
over  to  their  communion,  and  derived  that  of  Mennonites 
from  the  famous  man  to  whom  they  owe  the  greatest  part 
of  their  present  felicity,  is  hid  in  the  depths  of  antiquity^ 
and  is,  of  consequence,  extremely  difficult  to  be  ascer- 
tained/^ Pursuing  the  Baptist  succession,  Mosheim  fol- 
lows them  to  the  depths  of  antiquity,  beyond  the  times  of 
Menno  and  the  Munster  tragedy.  With  all  of  his  opposi- 
tion to  Baptists,  he  does  not  attempt  to  locate  their  origin, 
as  some  do,  with  Muntzer.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
the  same  class  of  people  who  were  called  Baptists  in  Eng- 
land, and  Anabaptists  in  Germany,  were  also  called  Men- 
nonites, not  that  he  was  their  founder,  but  because  he 
united  with  them,  and  became  one  of  their  most  powerful 
and  influential  ministers. 

The  modern  Mennonites  are  wholly  different  from  the 
ancient  Mennonite  Anabaptists.  For  the  so-called  Men- 
nonites of  the  present  time  admit  of  pouring  for  baptism, 
while  Menno  and  those  old  Mennonites  were  uncompro- 
mising dippers.  In  proof  that  the  Baptists  of  England, 
Anabaptists  of  Germany,  and  ancient  Mennonites,  were 
regarded  as  the  same  "  sect,'^  or  denomination,  we  cite 
the  following  from  Mosheim  :  "  The  sectaries  in  England, 
who  reject  the  custom  of  baptizing  in-  Mosheim' s  Ch. 
fants,  are  not  to  be  distinguished  by  the    His.,  p.  500. 


102  German  baptists. 

title  of  Anabaptists,  but  by  that  of  Baptists.     It  is,  how- 
ever, pro]:>able  that  they  derive  their  origin  from  the  Ger 
man  and  Dutch  Mennonites,  and  that,  in  former  times^ 
they  ado])te  1  their  doctrine  in  all  its  points/^ 

And  speaking  of  these  same  Baptists,  whom  he  calls 
Mennonites,  Mosheim  says  that  they  "  are  not  entirely  in 
an  error  when  they  boast  of  their  descent  from  the  Wal- 
denses,  Petrobrusians,  and  other  ancient  sects,  who  are 
usually  considered  as  witnesses  of  the  truth,  in  the  times 
of  general  darkness  and  superstition/^  And  the  same 
has  already  been  proved  in  the  former  section,  where  it  is 
recorded  in  the  Royal  Encyclopedia,  that  the  Baptists 

APPEAR  SUPPORTED  BY  HISTORY  IN  CONSIDERING 
THEMSELVES  THE  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  WaLDENSES, 
WHO  WERE  SO  GRIEVOUSLY  OPPRESSED  AND  PERSE- 
CUTED BY  THE  DESPOTIC  HEADS  OF  THE  EOMISH  HIE- 
RARCHY. 

In  confirmation  of  the  fact  that  the  Dutch  and  German 
Baptists  sprang  from  the  original  Waldenses,  we  here  in- 
troduce a  statement  from  the  report  from  the  learned  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  King  of  Holland,  to  prepare  a 
history  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  in  Avhich  they 
devote  one  chapter  to  the  Baptists.  The  author  of  the 
Encyclopedia  describes  this  committee  as  follows :  "  An 
^  Account  of  the  Origin  of  the  Dutch 
.e^^ww.s    .ncyc,  gj^p^jg^g^^  ^^  Mennonites,  was  published 

at  Breda,  in  1819,  by  Dr.  Ypeij,  Pro- 
fessor of  Theology,  at  Groningen,  and  the  Rev.  I.  J.  Der- 
mout.  Chaplain  to  the  King  of  the  Netherlands,  learned 
Pedobaptists,'^  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church.  These 
learned  men,  appointed  by  royal  authority,  and  living  in 
Holland,  having  access  to  the  libraries  and  archives  of 


Origin  of  the  German  (Baptists.  103 

Germany,  have  made  their  report  on  the  origin  of  the 
Baptists.  Do  they  locate  their  origin  with  the  Munster 
rebelUon  ?   We  have  their  concluding  language,  as  follows : 

"We  have  now  seen  that  the  Baptists  who  were  for- 
merly called  Anabaptists,  and,  in  latter  _  ,  „ 
times,  Mennonites,  were  the  original  W  al- 
denses;  and  who  have  long,  in  the  history  of  the  church, 
received  the  honor  of  that  origin.  On  this  account,  the 
Baptists  may  be  considered  as  the  only  Christian  commu- 
nity which  has  stood  since  the  days  of  the  apostles,  and  as 
a  Christian  society,  w^hich  has  preserved  pure  the  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel  through ,  all  ages.  The  perfectly  correct 
external  and  internal  economy  of  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion, tends  to  confirm  the  truth,  disputed  by  the  Romish 
Church,  that  the  Beformation  brought  about  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  was  in  the  highest  degree  necessary ;  and, 
at  the  same  time,  goes  to  refute  the  erroneous  notion  of 
the  Catholics,  that  their  communion  is  the  most  ancient.'^ 

This  testimony  is  worthy  of  being  embalmed  in  the 
memory  of  every  lover  of  truth.  It  is  not  the  language 
of  some  "bigoted"  Baptist,  but  the  deliberate  statement 
of  learned  Pedobaptist  historians  after  years  of  investi- 
gation. 

Of  their  testimony,  Newton  Brown,  editor  of  Religious 
Encyclopedia, says: "This testimony, from   ^  ,  ^^ 
the  highest  official  authority  in  the  Dutch        *  ' 

Reformed  Church,  is  certainly  a  rare  instance  of  liberality 
toward  another  denomination.  It  is  conceding  all  the 
Mennonites  or  Baptists  claim.  It  should  be  added,  that 
they  have  constantly,  but  politely,  declined  the  salaries 
which  the  government  of  Holland  offers  to  all  denomina- 
tions under  its  authority." 


104  German  (Baptists. 

It  will  not  be  amiss  to  emphasize  several  items  which 
Lave  been  settled  in  this  important  document : 

1.  That  the  Baptists,  who  were  formerly  called  Anahap- 
lists,  and  in  latter  times  Mennonites,  were  the  original  Wal- 
denses. 

2.  Tliat  the  Baj)tists  may  be  considered  as  the  only  Chris^ 
tian  community  which  has  stood  since  the  days  of  the 
apostles. 

3.  That  the  Baptists  may  he  considered  as  the  only  CJwis- 
tian  society  which  has  preserved  pure  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel  through  all  ages  from  the  apostles. 

4.  And  that  the  Baptist  communion  is  more  ancient  than 
the  Catholics. 

With  these  incontrovertible  facts  before  us,  will  the  un- 
blushing impudence  of  his  satanic  majesty  ever  again  so 
far  expose  the  malice  of  the  pit,  as  to  affirm  that  the  Bap- 
tists originated  with  the  mad  proceedings  of  the  Munster 
affair? 

The  learned  history,  from  which  this  extract  in  the  En- 
cyclopedia was  taken,  was  written  in  the  Dutch  language. 
Prof.  T.  W.  Tobey  has  translated  the  entire  chapter  on 
the  Baptists  from  the  original.  This  valuable  translation 
may  be  found  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Review  for  1859. 
This  document  throws  much  light  on  this  question.  Prof. 
Tobey  informs  us  that  the  names  of  the  authors  of  this 
history,  are  "  A.  Ypeij  and  I.  J.  Dermout ;  '^  and  the 
name  of  their  work  is,  "  History  of  the  Netherlands^  Re- 
formed Church.'^  The  work  consists  in  four  volumes. 
We  will  proceed  to  furnish  several  quotations  from  this 
valuable  work,  written  by  these  learned  Pedobaptists, 
who  lived  in  the  Netherlands  among  the  people  whom 
they  describe.     This  translation  does  not  materially  differ 


Origin  of  the  Gerinan  baptists.  105 

from  that  already  quoted  from  the  Encyclopedia,  but  it 
gives  all  the  chapter  on  the  Baptist  question,  while  the 
orner  only  gives  a  part.     They  do  not  originate  the  Bap- 
tists with  the  Munster  rebellion.     Dr.  Ypeij  and  Prof. 
Dermout  say,  in  their  notice  of  the  Baptists,  that  "these 
Protestants  are  known  in  history  by  the 
name  oi  Anabaptists,   and  ought,  by  no    ^o-q       ^ 
means,  to  be  considered  the  same  as  the 
Baptists.^^     These  historians  admit  that  the  true  Baptists 
were  called  Anabaptists,  but  they  here  speak  of  "  the  vile 
Anabaptists.'^      Again,  our  authors  say :    "  The  honest 
Baptists  suffered  the  most  severely  from  this 

.      T  ,  1  .11,  l^i^^-:    P-    11. 

prejudice,  because  they  were  considered  by 
the  people  to  be  the  same,  and  were  called  by  the  same 
name.     The  fact  that  they  agreed  in  their  opinions  re- 
specting the  holy  ordinance  of  baptism,  Avas  the  unfortu- 
nate occasion  of  this  thing.     On  this  account,  the  Bap- 
tists in  Flanders  and  in  Friesland,  suffered  the  most  ter- 
rible persecutions. '^      That  the  Baptists  of  those  times 
were  innocent  of  these  disturbances,  is  seen,  as  follows : 
"  The  Emperor  and  all  his  statesmen  knew  that  the  Bap- 
tists generally,  had,  both  by  word  and  deed,        . 
testified  that  their  peace-loving  hearts  ab- 
horred the  seditious  conduct  of  the  Anabaptists.^'     And 
these  Dutch  historians  proceed  :     "  How  evident  it  w^as 
that,  although  the  Baptists  appeared  to  agree 
exactly  with  the  Anabaptists  in  respect  to  •'    •     • 

the  baptisDftal  question,  the  former  entirely  disapproved, 
of  the  course  pursued  by  the  latter.     For  it  had  been, 
and  continued  to  be,  a  doctrine  of  the  Baptists,  that  the 
bearing  of  arms  was  very  unbecoming  to  a  Christian.'' 
And,  in  conclusion,  we  here  insert  the  noted  passage 


106  German  baptists. 

concerning  the  antiquity  of  the  Baptists,  as  translated  by 

Prof.  Tobey.     These  historians  say  :  "  We  have  now  seen 

„.,  ^r.  r.r.     that  thc  Baptists  who,  in  former  times, 

Ibid.,  pp.  19,20.  11    1   A      I      ^-  /         1    ^     w 

were  cailed  Anabaptists,  and  at  a  later  pe- 

liod  Mennonites,  were  originally  Waldenses,  who,  in  the 
history  of  the  Church,  even  from  the  most  ancient  times, 
have  received  such  a  well-deserved  homage.  On  this  ac- 
count the  Baptists  may  be  considered,  as  of  old,  the  only 
religious  community  which  has  continued,  from  the  times 
of  the  apostles,  as  a  Christian  society  which  has  kept  pure 
through  all  ages  the  evangelical  doctrines  of  religion.  The 
uncorrupted  inward  and  outward  condition  of  the  Baptist 
community,  afPords  proof  of  the  truth  contested  by  the  Rom- 
ish Church  of  the  great  necessity  of  a  reformation  of  relig- 
ion, such  as  that  which  took  place  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  also  a  refutation  of  the  erroneous  notion  of  the  Roman 
Catholics,  that  their  denomination  is  the  most  ancient.^^ 

We  have  traced  a  regular  succession  of  Baptists  from 
the  shores  of  America  to  Wales,  England,  and  Germany, 
and  to  the  valleys  of  the  Alps,  long  before  the  Munster 
rebellion.  We  have  now  entered  upon  a  period  of  our 
history  prior  to  the  Lutheran  Reformation.  In  this  pe- 
riod, prior  to  the  year  le520,  we  find  no  Lutherans,  Epis- 
copalians, Presbyterians,  nor  Methodists,  and,  of  course, 
no  Campbellites.  But  the  Baptist  denomination  here 
stands  alone  as  the  "  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth,"  as 
the  mighty  pyramid  of  Gospel  light,  whose  apex  touches 
heaven,  and  whose  rays  light  up  the  dreary  pathway  of 
the  dismal  ages  upon  which  we  are  now  entering. 

We  have  fully  established  the  historic  fact  that  the 
Baptists  sprang  from  the  ancient  Waldenses;  and  this  leads 
us  to  the  consideration  of  the  next  objection. 


(Baptist  Succession.  107 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE  ANCIENT  WALDENSES. 

1.  The  Name  Waldenses. 

2.  The  Charge  of  Drs.  Miller  and  Rice  against  Jones,  thb 

Historian. 

3.  Ancient  Waldenses  Baptists — Modern  Waldenses  Pedo- 

baptists. 

4.  The  Origin  of  the  Waldenses. 

Section  I. — The  name  waldenses. 

The  name  Waldenses  was  originally  applied  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  valleys  of  the  Alps,  but,  in  after  times, 
it  was  applied  to  that  class  of  Christians,  everywhere, 
who  embraced  the  same  views  with  the  inhabitants  of  the 
valleys.  This  name  has  sometimes  been  applied,  by  the 
Roman  Catholics,  Avith  such  latitude  as  to  embrace  all  the 
sects  which  opposed  the  doctrines  of  Rome.  Therefore, 
in  the  perusal  of  the  pages  of  history,  we  find  the  term 
Waldenses  applied  to  parties  of  almost  every  denomina- 
tional cast.  And  a  failure  to  observe  the  proper  distinc- 
tions in  the  use  of  this  name,  has  led  some  historians  lo 
very  incorrect  conclusions  as  regards  the  doctrine  of  the 
Waldenses. 

It  is  claimed  by  some,  that  the  Waldenses  derived  their 
name  from  one  Peter  Waldo,  a  merchant  of  Lyons,  who 
lived  in  the  twelfth  century.  But  this  position  is  now 
almost  universally  abandoned.  It  is  a  historic  fact,  fully 
made  out,  that  the  name  Waldenses  was  applied  to  the 


108  TJie  Ancient   V/aldenses. 

inhabitants  of  tlie  valleys,  as  a  religious  community,  long 

before  the  time  of  Peter  Waldus.    Mr.  Jones,  the  historian, 

says :  "  It  is  also  proved  from  their  books, 

onfs       I.      ts.,    ^j^^^  they  existed  as  Waldenses  before  the 
P   232.  ,  "^ 

time  of  Peter  AValdo,  who  preached  about 

the  year  1160.'^     And  upon  the  same  point  Mr.  Wad- 

dington  remarks  :  "  That  we  may  not  fall 

ax  ^^^9f^}     ^'    ^j-^4-Q  ^Y\Q  error  of  Mosheim,  who  ascribes 

JIis.j  p.  3o3.  .   .  '        •    T    .  1     1 

the  origm  of  that  sect  to  an  individual 

named  Waldus.  Peter  Waldus,  or  Waldensis,  a  native  of 
Lyons,  was  a  layman  and  a  merchant ;  but,  notwithstand- 
ing the  avocations  of  a  secular  life,  he  had  studied  the  real 
character  of  his  church  with  attention,  followed  by  shame. 
Stung  with  the  spectacle  of  so  much  impurity,  he  aban- 
doned his  profession,  distributed  his  wealth  among  the 
poor,  and  formed  an  association  for  the  diffusion  of  Scrip- 
tural truth.  He  commenced  his  ministry  about  the  year 
1180.  Having  previously  caused  several  parts  of  the 
Scriptures  to  be  translated  into  the  vulgar  tongue,  he  ex- 
pounded them,  w^ith  great  effect,  to  an  attentive  body  of 
disciples  both  in  France  and  Lombardy.  In  the  course 
of  his  exertions  he  probably  visited  the  valleys  of  Pied- 
mont; and  there  he  found  a  people  of  congenial  spirits. 
They  were  called  Vaudois  or  Waldenses  (men  of  the  val- 
leys) ;  and  as  the  preaching  of  Peter  may  probably  have 
coniirmed  their  opinions  and  cemented  their  discipline, 
he  acquired  and  deserved  his  sirname  by  his  residence 
among  them.  At  the  same  time,  their  connectioji  with 
Peter  and  his  real  Lyonese  disciples  established  a  notion 
of  their  identity;  and  the  Yaudois,  in  return  for  the  title 
which  they  had  bestowed,  received  the  reciprocal  appella- 
tion of  Leonists.     Such,  at  least,  appears  the  most  j^roba- 


The  Manie   Waldenses.  109 

ble  among  many  varying  acconnts.  There  are  some  T\'ho 
believe  the  Yauclois  to  have  enjoyed  the  uninterrupted 
integrity  of  the  faith  even  from  the  apostolic  ages;  others 
suppose  them  to  have  been  disciples  of  Claudius  Turin, 
the  evangelical  prelate  of  the  ninth  century.  At  least  it 
may  be  pronounced,  with  great  certainty,  that  they  had 
been  long  in  existence  before  the  visit  of  the  Lyonese 
reformer.'^ 

It  would  appear  from  these  accounts  that  Peter,  the 
merchant  of  Lyons,  received  the  name  Waldus  from  the 
Waldenses,  and  not  the  Waldenses  their  name  from  him. 
The  same  is  confirmed  by  Kobinson,  as  follows:  "From 
the  Latin  '  vallis  ^  came  the  English  ^  valley,^  the  French 
and  Spanish  ^  valle,'  the  Italian  ^  valdeci,^  the  Low  Dutch 
'  velleye,'  the  Provencal  '  vaux,  ^  ^  vaudois,'  the  Ecclesias- 
tical S^allenses,^  S^aldenses,'  Svaldenses.^  The  words 
simply  signify  valleys,  inhabitants  of  valleys,  and  no 
more. 

"  It  happened  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  valleys  of  the 
Pyrenees  did  not  profess  the  Catholic 
faith ;  it  fell  out  also  that  the  inhabitants  o'a9  '  '' 
of  the  valleys  about  the  Alps  did  not  em-  " 
brace  it ;  it  happened,  moreover,  in  the  ninth  century,  that 
one  Valdo,  a  friend  and  counselor  of  Berengarius,  and  a 
man  of  eminence  who  had  many  followers,  did  not  approve 
of  the  papal  discipline  and  doctrine;  and  it  came  to  pass, 
about  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  after,  that  a  rich  mer- 
chant of  Lyons,  who  was  called  Yaldus,  because  he  received 
his  religious  notions  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  valleys, 
openly  disavowed  the  Roman  religion,  supported  many  to 
teach  the  doctrines  believed  in  the  valleys,  and  became  the 
instrument  of  the  conversion  of  great  numbers.    All  theso 


110  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

people  were  called  Waldenses ;  and  hence  it  came  to  pasa 
that  some  contended  they  were  Manicheans  and  Arians, 
and  others  that  they  were  the  direct  opposite." 

Notwithstanding  the  name  Waldenses  originally  desig- 
nated the  inhabitants  of  certain  Alpine  valleys,  yet  it  finally 
became  the  general  name  of  a  large  body  of  Christians 
inhabiting  many  countries.      On  this   point,  Mr.  Jones 

remarks  :    "  Such  is  the  view  which  Rei- 
ones       I.      IS.,    j^gp-^g  gave  of  the  principles  of  the  Wal- 

denses,  about  eighty  years  subsequent  to  the 
times  of  Peter  Waldo ;  and  Ave  must  understand  this  de- 
scription as  applicable  to  one  general  class  of  Christians, 
scattered  throughout  the  south  of  France,  the  valleys  of 
the  Pyrenean  mountains,  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  and 
the  country  of  the  Milanese,  though  probably  distin- 
guished, in  different  places,  by  the  different  names  of 
Puritans  or  Catharists,  Paterines,  Arnoldists,  Leonists, 
Albigenses  or  Waldenses,  the  last  of  which  ultimately  be- 
came their  more  general  appellation." 

Mr.  Jones  further  adds  :  "  That  the  general  body  of  the 

Albigenses  received  the  doctrines  of  Peter 
Jones^  Ch.  His.,  ^y^^jj  ^^-^^^  these  doctrines  had  no  con- 
p,  242.  .  . 

nection  with   Manicheism,   and   that  the 

Waldenses  and  Albigenses  were  two  branches  of  the  same 
sect,  inhabiting  different  countries,  each  deriving  its  ap- 
pellation from  its  local  residence."  Many  other  writers 
mieht  be  adduced  in  confirmation  of  the  fact  thnt  the 
AValdenses  received  their  name  originally  from  the  valleys 
of  the  Alps.  But  in  addition  to  the  general  name  of 
AValdenses  applied  to  the  class  of  Christians  who  embraced 
the  principles  of  the  original  inhabitants  of  the  valleys  of 
the  Alps,  a  multitude  of  local  names  and  nick-names  were 


The  J^ame   Waldenses.  Ill 

a]>plied  to  this  people.     Of  these  names,  Mr.  Jones  says : 
^'  In  Languecloc,  the  Catholics  affirm  that  the  origin  of  these 
heretics  was  recent,  and  that  they  derived 
their   name    of   Vaudois,  or  "Waldenses,        ^01       *        *' 

p.  Zol. 

from  Peter  Waldo,  one  of  their  barbes  or 
preachers,  whose  immediate  followers  were  called  Wal- 
denses. But  this  was  rather  the  renovation  of  the  name, 
from  a  particular  cause,  than  its  original.  Accordingly,  it 
extended  over  that  district  only  in  France  where  Peter 
Waldo  preached,  for  in  other  districts  the  people,  who 
were  branches  of  the  same  original  sect,  as  in  Dauphine, 
were,  from  a  noted  preacher,  called  Josephists;  in  Lan- 
guedoc  they  were  called  Henricians;  and  in  other  prov- 
inces, from  Peter  Bruys,  they  were  called  Ptrobrusians. 
Sometimes  they  received  their  name  from  their  manners, 
as  Catharists  {Puritans) ;  and  from  the  foreign  country 
whence  it  was  presumed  they  had  been  expelled,  they 
w^ere  called  ^  Bulgarians,^  or  Bougres.  In  Italy  they 
were  commonly  called  Fratricelli,  that  is,  ^  men  of  the 
brotherhood,^  because  they  cultivated  brotherly  love 
among  themselves,  acknowledging  one  another  as  brethren 
in  Christ.  Sometimes  they  were  denominated  ^Pauli- 
cians,'  and,  by  corruption  of  the  word  ^Publicans,'  consid- 
ering them  as  sprung  from  that  ancient  sect,  which,  in  the 
seventh  century,  spread  over  Armenia  and  Thrace,  and 
which,  when  persecuted  by  the  Greek  emperor,  might 
migrate  into  Europe  and  mingle  with  the  Waldenses  in 
Piedmont.  Sometimes  they  were  named  from  the  coun- 
try or  city  in  which  they  prevailed,  as  Lombardists,  Tou- 
lousians,  and  Albigenses.  These  branches,  however,  all 
sprang  from  one  common  stock,  and  were  animated  by  the 
same  religious  and  moral  principles/^ 


112  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

In  addition  to  all  these  local  names,  applied  to  the  Wal- 
denses,  they  were  also  called,  especially  in  Italy,  Paterines. 
Mr.  Orchard  says :  "  The  name  of  Paterines  was  given  to 

the  Waldenses;  and  who,  for  the  most 
)  /^  7    '^2''0  '^ '    P^^'^^  h.Q\di  the  same  opinions,  and  have, 

therefore,  been  taken  for  one  and  the  same 
class  of  people,  who  continued  till  the  Reformation,  under 
the  name  of  Paterines  or  Waldenses/^  And  with  refer- 
ence to  the  various  names  applied  to  the  Waldenses,  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union,  very  justly  remarks: 
'^Though  these  eminent  witnesses  for  the  truth  are  now 

termed,  generally,  Waldenses  and  Al- 
A  ^^o  a^rr^^^^i  o     BIGEXSES,  yet  they  were  formerly  known 

by  a  variety  oi  names — some  aerived  irom 
their  teachers,  some  from  their  manner  of  life,  some  from 
the  places  w^here  they  resided,  some  from  the  fate  they 
suffered,  and  some  from  the  malice  of  their  enemies.  The 
valleys  of  Piedmont,  first  gave  them  the  name  of  Yal- 
lenses,  "Waldenses,  or  Vaudois,  a  name  which  has  since 
been  employed  to  distinguish  them  as  a  primitive  church. 
Those  in  the  south  of  France  Avere  termed  Albigenses,  or 
poor  men  of  Lyons,  from  their  residence  in  or  about  Albi 
and  Lyons.  In  like  manner  they  were  called  Picards, 
Lombards,  Bohemians,  Bulgarians,  etc.,  from  the  coun- 
tries in  which  they  dwelt.  The  epithets  Cathari  and  Pa- 
terines were  applied  to  them  as  terms  of  reproach;  and  that 
of  Lollards,  either  from  the  same  cause,  or  from  a  AYal- 
densean  pastor,  AYalter  Lollard,  who  flourished  about  the 
middle  of  the  thirteenth  century.'^ 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  in  this  work,  to  give  a  detailed 
account  of  all  these  families  of  "Waldenses,  in  the  various 
countries,  but  I  only  design  to  follow  up  the  church  succes- 


Tlie  J\iciiiie   Waldenses.  113 

sion  in  the  most  direct  line  tlirongh  the  ancient  Waldenses. 
I  do  not  claim  all  who  have,  loosely,  been  called  Wal- 
denses, as  Baptists. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  parties  in  religion  which 
are  sometimes  called  Baptists;  and  yet,  religiously,  they 
are  our  antagonists.  The  same  seems  to  be  true  as  re- 
gards the  Waldenses.  The  ancient,  pure  Waldenses,  who 
are  the  ancestors  of  the  Baptists,  regarded  the  Pope  as 
Antichrist,  the  Church  of  Borne  as  the  whore  of  Baby- 
lon, the  Bomish  traditions  as  base  idolatry.  They  had  no 
communion  or  affiliation  with  the  Catholic  Church  -^vhat- 
ever.  They  held  all  the  Papal  rites  and  ceremonies  in 
the  utmost  abhorrence,  as  emanating  from  the  devil.  But 
there  w^as  a  class  of  religionists  who  were  called  Wal- 
denses by  some  Catholic  writers  and  modern  Protestant 
historians,  who  w^ere  a  kind  of  Baalamite  Waldenses,  who 
sometimes  communed  with  the  Catholics;  and  they  even 
had  their  children  "  baptized  ^^  by  Catholic  priests.  These 
were  not  the  faithful  Waldenses,  who  bore  testimony 
against  the  corruptions  of  Antichrist  through  the  dark 
ages.  These  so-called  Waldenses  partook  of  the  Bomish 
abominations  in  order  to  screen  themselves  from  persecu- 
tion. This  class  of  pseudo  Waldenses,  however,  had  no 
permanent  independent  church  organization  until  the  time 
of  the  Beformation  of  the  sixteenth  century.  This  accounts 
for  the  claim  of  the  modern  Pedobaptists,  that  the  AVal- 
denses  were  Pedobaptists.  But  it  will  be  abundantly 
shown  that  the  true  Waldenses  were  Anti-pedobaptists. 
We  now  regard  the  following  points  as  fully  established : 
1.  Ttiat  the  term  Waldenses  was  applied  to  the  Christian 
inhabitants  of  the  valleys  oj  the  Alps  long  before  the  time 
of  Peter  Waldo. 


U'l  The  Aiicient   Waldenses. 

2.  TJiat  Peter  of  Lyons  received  the  name  Waldus,  or 
Waldo,  from  the  Waldenses,  on  account  of  his  umon  ic'Uh 
them. 

3.  That  the  term  Waldenses  was  derived  from  the  resi- 
dence in  the  valleys  of  the  Alps,  of  the  ancient  martyrs  of 
Jesus. 

It  must  he  distinctly  understood  that  the  use  of  the 
name  Waldenses,  in  this  work,  is  designed  to  apply  to  the 
pure,  ancient  Waldenses,  unless  some  qualification  is  ijsed 
to  indicate  a  different  application. 


Section  II. — The  charge  of  des.  miller  and  rice 

AGAINST    JONES,  THE   HISTORIAN. 

"  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you  and  perse- 

^r  ..  r  -.-.-,..  cute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil 
iMatt.  5:  11,12.  ,\   '       i- i     i      ^  i         -p  •   • 

agamst  you  lalsely,  lor  my  sake.    i\ejoice, 

and  be  exceeding  glad  :  for  great  is  your  reward  in  heaven : 
for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets  which  wai'e  before 
you.'^ 

It  was  foretold  by  Christ  and  the  apostles,  that  the 
faithful  witnesses  of  Jesus  should  be  accounted  the  filth 
and  off-scouring  of  the  world.  Christ  and  the  apostles 
Avere  slandered  and  cruelly  persecuted.  The  ancient  Wal- 
denses were  misrepresented  and  persecuted  b}^  the  doctors 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  And  it  need  not  be  a  matter  of 
surprise  that  the  Presbyterian  D.D.^s,  descendants  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  should  misrepresent  and  slander  a  Bap- 
tist historian.  As  these  learned  dignitaries  of  Presbyte- 
rianism  have  assailed  tlie  character  of  William  Jones,  the 
Baptist  historian,  charging  him  with  fabrication  smd  false- 


Charges  against  the  Historian  Jones.      115 

hoodj  it  becomes  us  to  pause  and  examine  the  grounds  of 
these  fearful  accusations. 

Dr.  Miller,  in  his  letter  to  Mr.  Whary,  which  is  pub- 
lished in  the  ^'  Sketches  of  Church  History/^  says :  "  That 
Mr.  Jones  has  carefully  withheld  all  the 
evidences  of   this  fact   (infant  baptism)    -|o..a*     ^'^j^^> 
from  his  readers/'  and  then  charges  Mr. 
Jones  w^ith  ^^  forgery .''     And  Dr.  Rice  makes  his  charge 
against  Mr.  Jones  as  follows :     ^'  I  have  another  interest- 
ing portion  of  history,  which  I  will  pre- 

,    n  •  1       X-  T\T      r^  -^<?&-  "w^t^^  Camp- 

sent  lor  your  consideration.     Mr.  Camp-    ,  „        ...     ^ 

bell,  and  other  Anti-pedobaptists,  have 
claimed  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses  (those  witnesses 
for  God  and  the  truth,  in  the  dark  ages,  when  Christian- 
ity seemed  almost  lost  from  the  earth)  as  Anti-pedobap- 
tists.  This  claim  is  set  up  by  Mr.  Jones,  the  Baptist  his- 
torian, of  whose  history  Mr.  Campbell  has  spoken  in  the 
highest  terms ;  yet,  in  his  account  of  the  Waldenses, 
though  quoting  avoAvedly  from  Perrin's  history,  he  left 
out  everything  that  squinted  at  infant  baptism !  '^ 

Dr.  Eice  bases  this  charge,  upon  the  discrepancy  in  the 
accounts  of  Paul  Perrin  and  AVilliam  Jones,  of  the  re- 
port of  the  commissioners  to  Louis  XIL,  King  of  France, 
concerning  the  Waldenses.  Mr.  Pice  took  it  for  granted 
that  Mr.  Jones  pretended  to  quote  Perrin,  and  left  out 
the  clause  which  Perrin  inserts  concerning  infant  bap- 
tism. But,  as  will  be  seen,  Mr.  Jones  does  not  profess 
to  quote  Perrin;  he  says,  "quoted  by  Perrin. '^  So,  the 
question  of  veracity  between  Perrin  and  Jones  must 
be  settled  by  reference  to  the  original  document,  the  re- 
port to  Louis.  We  will  now  proceed  to  introdace  the 
conflicting   accounts  of  Perrin    and  Jones,  upon  which 


116  Tlie  Ancient   Waldenses, 

Miller  and  Rice  rely  to  convict  Jones  of  falsehood,  Mr. 
Peri'in  says :  "  King  Louis  XII.,  of  France,  having  re- 
ceived information  from  the  enemies  of  the 
aldAu!i'  ^^Ig*  ^^^al^e^^s^^s,  dwelling  in  Provence,  of  sev- 
eral heinous  crimes  which  they  fathered 
upon  them,  sent  to  the  place  Adam  Fumee,  Master  of  lie- 
quests,  and  a  Sorbonist  doctor,  called  Parni,  who  was  his 
confessor,  to  make  inquiry  into  the  matter.  They  visited 
all  their  parishes  and  temples,  and  neither  found  there 
any  images,  or  sign  of  the  ornaments  belonging  to  the 
mass  or  ceremonies  of  the  Romish  Church ;  much  less 
could  they  discover  any  of  those  crimes  with  which  they 
were  charged.  But  rather  that  they  kept  the  Sabbath 
duly,  caused  their  children  to  be  baptized  according  to  the 
primitive  church,  taught  them  the  articles  of  the  Christian 
faith,  and  the  commandments  of  God.  The  King  having 
heard  the  report  of  the  said  commissioners,  said,  with  an 
oath,  that  they  were  better  men  than  himself  or  his  peo- 
ple.^^ 

Mr.   Jones  says :    ^^  Louis  the  XIL,  King  of  France, 
being  informed  by  the  enemies  of  the  Wal- 

JoneJ    Ch.  His.,        ■^  •    i     i  •.  •  j.      jy  A^^ 

c,nr.  denses  inhabiting  a  part  ot  the  province 

of  Provence,  that  several  heinous  crimes 
were  laid  to  their  account,  sent  the  Master  of  Requests, 
and  a  certain  doctor  of  Sorbonne,  who  was  confessor  to 
his  majesty,  to  make  inquiry  into  this  matter.  On  their 
return,  they  reported  that  they  had -visited  all  the  par- 
ishes where  they  dwelt,  had  inspected  their  places  of 
worship,  but  that  they  had  found  no  images,  nor  signs  of 
the  ornaments  belonging  to  the  mass,  nor  any  of  the  cer- 
emonies of  the  Romish  Church  ;  much  less  could  they  dis- 
cover any  traces  of  those  criir.es  with  which  they  v/ere 


Charges  against  tJie  Historian  Jones.      117 

cliarged.  On  the  contrary,  they  kept  the  Sabbath  day, 
observed  the  ordinance  of  baptism  according  to  the  prim- 
itive church,  instructed  their  children  in  the  articles  of 
the  Christian  faith,  and  the  commandments  of  God.  The 
King,  haying  heard  the  report  of  his  commissioners,  said, 
with  an  oath,  that  they  were  better  men  than  himself  or 
his  people/^ 

In  regard  to  this  difference  between  the  historians  Per- 

rin  and  Jones,  Dr.  Rice  remarks :  "  Here 

TV «-      T  1         1  J.      •   i-     J  7  Camp,  and  Bice' 3 

Mr.  Jones,  when  he  came  to  infant  bap-  -r,  ,  ^^         .a- 

^  .  ,  .  Debate,  p.  40o. 

tlsm,  wholly  omitted  it;  and  instead  of 

saying,  as  did  the  author  he  quoted,  ^causing  their  children 
to  be  baptized,'  he  says,  '  observed  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism according  to  the  primitive  church  ! ! ! '  Thus,  the 
Waldenses  are  proved  to  be  Anti-pedobaptists,  by  conceal- 
ing their  testimony.  A  more  glaring  falsification  of  his- 
tory, I  never  saw.'' 

A  writer  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Review  says  :  "Here, 
then,  we  have  the  standing  charge  of  fal- 
sification and  forgery,  first  made  against  '  yt^^'\^o  ' 
Mr.  Jones  by  Dr.  Miller,  then  reiterated 
and  attempted  to  be  proved  by  Mr.  Rice,  both  eminent 
Presbyterian  divines.  But  it  happens  that  there  is  a  slight 
mistake  in  the  statements  of  these  gentlemen,  which,  being 
discovered,  will  materially  relieve  Mr.  Jones  from  the 
*  undesirable'  position  in  which  he  is  thus  placed  as  a 
liistorian.  The  mistake  is  this  :  Mr.  Jones  does  not  quote 
Perrin,  as  is  alleged,  but  the  same  authority  which  Perrin 
quotes.  '  The  authority,'  says  Elder  Waller, '  which  Perrin 
quotes  is  Vesembecius'  Oration  respecting  the  Waldenses. 
Jones  refers  to  the  same  authority — Vesembecius'  Oration 
on  the  Waldenses,  in  Perrin,  chap.  Y.     He  does  not  say,  as 


118  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

quoted  from  Pcrrin.  He  evidently  looks  beyond  Perrin, 
and  draws  his  authority  from  the  same  source.  To  impeach 
Jones,  therefore,  and  to  discredit  him  as  a  historian,  ap- 
peal must  be  made  to  the  original  authority — the  author- 
ity upon  which  he  and  Perrin  both  rely :  to  the  Oration 
of  Vesembecius.  This,  Mr.  Pice  did  not  do.  He  has, 
consequently,  made  his  charge  at  random,  and  affirmed 
concerning  that  of  which  he  knew  nothing.  Had  he  gone 
to  the  proper  source  for  information,  he  would  have  found 
that  Jones  was  right  and  Perrin  wrong." 

That  part  of  the  oration  of  Vesembecius  concerning 
which  this  controversy  has  arisen,  is  found  in  the  cele- 
brated discussion  between  Pope  and  Maguire,  held  in 
Dublin,  Ireland,  in  the  year  1827.  Mr.  Pope  was  an 
Episcopalian,  and  could  have  no  partiality  for  the  Baptist 
side  of  this  controversy.  In  fact,  this  discussion  occurred 
before  this  charo;e  was  made  a(>:ainst  Mr.  Jones.  It  will 
be  found  by  the  examination  of  the  Latin,  from  the  report 
of  the  commissioners  to  King  Louis,  that  Jones  is  correct, 
and  the  modern  translations  of  Perrin  wrong.  It  is  my 
opinion  that,  if  we  could  procure  the  original  of  Perrin^s 
history  in  the  French  lans^uatre,  we  would  find  that  there 
is  no  discrepancy  between  Perrin  and  Jones.  It  is  possible 
that  the  error  has  crept  into  the  modern  translations  of 
Perrin.  Mr.  Pope,  in  his  debate  with  Maguire,  a  Pomish 
priest,  gives  the  circumstances  of  the  commission  to  the 
Waldenses,  with  the  report  in  Latin,  and  the  translation, 

as  follows :  "  When  some  cardinals  and 
Pope  &  Maguire  ^^i^^es  accused  the  Waldenses  in  Merin- 
Di^.,  p.  19b.  T   1         1  ri  1    •  x^       ■  •  A 

dol  and  Cabricrs  of  grievous  crimes,  and 

urged  Lewis  XII.  to  root  them  out,  the  Waldenses,  hav- 
ing notice  thereof,  sent  their  deputies  to  his  majesty  to 


Charp-C3  a^-aiiist  the  Historian   Jones.     119 


declare  their  innocence.  The  prelates  were  instant  upon 
tlie  king  not  to  give  them  any  audience ;  but  the  king 
answered,  that  if  he  were  to  make  war  against  the  Turk,  he 
would  previously  hear  him.  The  king  accordingly  sent 
Adam  Fumee,  his  Master  of  Requests,  and  Doctor  Parni, 
his  confessor,  to  search  and  inquire  both  into  their  life  and 
religion.  The  commissioners  visited  those  places,  and  upon 
their  return  reported  to  the  king  the  result  of  their  exam- 
ination— viz:  ^That  men  were  baptized;  the  articles  of 
faith,  and  the  .ten  commandments,  were  taught;  the  Lord's 
day  observed;  the  word  of  God  preached;  and  no'  show 
of  wickedness  or  fornication  to  be  perceived  among  them ; 
but  that  they  found  not  any  images  in  their  churches,  nor 
any  ornaments  belonging  to  the  mass.^ 

The  king,  hearing  this  report  of  the  commissioners,  said 
(and  bound  it  \Yith  an  oath),  ^That  they  were  better  men 
than  he  or  the  rest  of  his  Catholic  subjects.^ 

'  Turn  rex  etiamsi,  inquit,  nihi  in  Turcam  aut  diabolum 
bellum  suscipiendum  esset  eos  tamen  prius  audire  vellem.^ 
—  Wesemhecii  Oratio  de  Valdens.,  p.  418,  extat  in  Joach. 
Camerarii  Hisfor.  Narrationes  de  Fratrum,  Orthod.  EccL 
in  Bohemia. 

'Illi  ad  regem  referunt,  illis  in  locis  homines  baptizari, 
articulos  fidei  et  decalogum  doceri,  dominicos  dies  religiose 
coli,  Dei  verbum  exponi,  veneficia  et  stupra  apud  eos 
nulla,  esse.  His  auditis  rex,  Jurejurando  addito,  me,  in- 
quit,  et  cetero  populo  meo  Catholico  meliores  ilia  viri 
sunt.' — JbkL,  p.  419. 

^Ceterum  se  in  ipsorum  templis  neque  imagines  neque 
ornamenta  missse  ulla  reperisse.' — Ibld.^' 

Vie  consider  the  foregoing  quotation  of  great  import- 
ance.    It  contains  the  original  of  the  report  which  must 


120  Tlie  Ancient  Waldenses. 

settle  the  question  of  the  veracity  of  Wm.  Jones,  the  his- 
torian, who  has  gone  to  his  reward.  Perrin's  history  rep- 
resents the  commissioners  as  saying  that  the  Waldenses 
"  Caused  their  children  to  be  baptized  according  to  the 
primitive  church;^'  but  Mr.  Jones  leaves  out  the  baptizing 
of  the  children,  for  which  he  is  branded  as  a  false  histo- 
rian. But  the  report  says,  ^^ homines  baptizari/'  "that 
men  were  baptized ;  '^  the  word  infantes  is  not  in  the  report. 
As  remarked  by  J.  L.  Waller:  "The  charge  against 
Jones  falls  to  the  earth,  and  the  blows  at  his  reputation 
recoil  '^  on  the  heads  of  his  accusers.  It  turns  out  that 
Jones  is  the  correct  historian,  and  Perrin,  or  his  transla- 
tor, must  be  wrong.  Pedobaptist  writers  are,  certainly, 
hard  pressed  to  prove  Pedobaptism  on  the  Waldenses. 
Mr.  Jones  did  not  conceal  the  liistory  of  the  Waldenses; 
he  freely  admits,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter,  that  the  pres- 
ent Waldenses  are  Pedobaptists.  It  is  a  pity  that  such 
men  as  Drs.  Miller  and  Rice  will  attempt  to  blast  the 
character  of  a  historian  without  an  investigation  of  all 
the  evidences  on  which  they  found  their  accusations. 
Have  such  men  the  moral  courage  to  withdraw  their 
charges?  If  such  men  as  these  will  resort  to  such  un- 
worthy means  to  injure  the  character  of  Baptists,  after  they 
are  sleeping  in  the  tomb,  what  may  be  expected  of  the  com- 
mon herd  of  sectarians  who  are  not  accjuainted  vrith  Bap- 
tist history  ?  And  why  need  vre  be  surprised  at  the  conduct 
of  Catholics  for  tearing  up  the  remains  of  the  dead  to  be 
consigned  to  the  flames,  when  learned  men,  who  profess  to 
be  reformed  Christians,  are  willing,  without  the  slightest 
foundation,  to  tear  from  the  tomb  of  the  past  the  character 
of  a  Baptist  historian  and  consign  it  to  infamy?  There 
will  be  a  time  when  secret  things  will  be  brought  to  light. 


Ancient   Waldenses  (Baptists.  121 


Section  III. — The  akcient  waldenses  baptists  — 

THE  modern  waldenses   PEDOBAPTISTS. 

Of  all  the  slanders  and  misrepresentations  Avliich  have 
been  perpetrated  against  the  ancient  Waldenses,  the  most 
remarkable  is  that  of  infant  baj)tism.  It  is  a  well-known 
historical  fact,  that  for  rejecting  infant  baptism  their 
blood  was  poured  out  like  water  for  many  centuries. 
And  it  is  also  admitted,  by  all  parties,  that  the  present 
inhabitants  of  the  valleys  of  the  Alps  (called  Waldenses) 
are  Pedobaptists.  A  failure  to  distinguish  between  the 
ancient  and  modern  Waldenses,  is  the  main  cause  of  the 
confusion  concerning  the  denominational  features  of  these 
peojple.  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  distinguish  between  these 
two  classes  of  Waldenses,  by  calling  the  ancient  class 
Baptist  Waldenses,  and  the  modern  class  Pedohaptist 
Waldenses.  The  present  Pedobaptist  Waldenses  are  not 
the  denominational  descendants  of  the  ancient  Walden- 
ses. They  descended  from  the  Protestant  Reformation 
under  Calvin  and  others.  It  is  important  to  note  the  fact, 
that  the  term  Waldenses  was  first  applied  to  a  local  com- 
munity. It  afterward  became  the  general  name  of  a  reli- 
gious denomination  throughout  Europe ;  but  now  the 
name  is  restricted  to  a  local  community  —  the  inhabitants 
of  the  valleys,  who  sprang  from  the  Reformation  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  And  there  is  now  no  dispute  as  to  the 
denominational  character  of  these  modern  Waldenses. 
They  are  Pedobaptists.  But  the  ancient  Waldenses,  who 
were  regarded  as  the  witnesses  for  Christ,  were  Baptists. 
It  is  admitted  that  there  were  some  persons,  after  the 
times  of  Huss  and  Jerome,  in  Bohemia  and  other  places 
who   protested    occasionally   against   the   corrupiions    of 


122  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

Kome,  and  at  the  same  time  received  her  ordinances  and 
conformed,  in  part,  to  her  superstitions.  These  were  some- 
times called  Waldenses;  but  they  were  not  the  witnessing 
Waldenses.  In  regard  to  this  controversy  Mr.  Orchard 
says :  "  The  earliest  claims  which  Pedo- 
Orch.  Bapt.  Ms.,  baptists  can  establish  to  any  section  of 
vol.  I  p.  308;  ^i^ggg  dissidents,  as  a  distinct  body  from 
see  also,   Rob.       _,  .      _  ^  i        i    i  -rNr. 

Eccl.Res.  p.  488.    J-^oii^^,   is  irom  a  document  dated  lo08. 

This  instrument  is  easily  explained.  Dur- 
ing the  ministry  of  Huss  and  Jerome,  many  persons 
Avere  brouo^ht  into  their  cono^reo^ations  who  could  not 
forego  the  Roman  ceremonies.  After  Huss^  death,  a 
great  many,  found  in  Zisca's  army  (1433),  were  called 
Calixtines  —  i.  e.,  persons  who  wished  the  cup  in  the  eu- 
charist  restored  to  the  laity,  but  in  every  other  respect 
were  Catholics.  Another  part  was  made  up  of  those  per- 
sons who  were  zealous  for  reform  in  church  and  state; 
while  a  third  part  Avas  called  Waldenses,  or  Picards,  who 
interfered  not  in  political  affairs.^' 

Of  these  wavering  Bohemian  Hussites  who  separated 
from  the  Calixtines  in  1457,  Mr.  Orchard  says:  ^'Such 

was  the  unsettled  state  of  the  rest  and  re- 
•  7 1    ^309*^^  '    ^^i^^^^'  of  "^^^^s  body,  that  they  published 

nine  creeds,  or  confessions  of  faith,  or 
rather  one  creed  amended  and  improved  each  time.  (Rob- 
ins. Res.,  p.  312.)  The  fourth,  with  the  fifth  edition  im- 
proved, was  presented,  it  is  said,  in  1508,  to  King  Ula- 
dislaus,  while  he  was  in  Hungary.  The  confession  pre- 
sented to  the  king,  says,  in  the  preface,  that  the  petitioning 
"party  were  not  Waldenses,  though  they  were  persecuted 
und'^jr  that  name."  From  this  testimony  we  discover  that 
the  first  dated  document,  or  confession  of  faith,  among  tho 


Ancient   Waldenses  (Baptists.  123 

WaldeDses  in  support  of  infant  baptism,  was  published  in 
1508  by  the  Calixtine  Hussites,  who  were  not  the  descend- 
ants of  the  original  Waldenses,  and  by  their  own  confes- 
sion were  not  Waldenses  at  all.  And  yet  Pedobaptist 
historians  gravely  quote  this  confession  in  proof  of  the 
Pedobaptist  character  of  the  ancient  Waldenses. 

But  the  document  mainly  relied  on  by  the  champions 
of  infant  baptism  to  prove  the  charge  of  infant  baptism 
on  the  ancient  Waldenses,  is  the  "  Spiritual  Alma- 
nac"!! This  rare  document  was  found  among  More- 
land's  Waldensean  manuscripts,  gathered  about  the  year 
1655,  and  its  date  and  authorship  is  entirely  unknown ;  but 
it  is  supposed  to  have  been  written  by  George  Moril,  about 
the  year  1530.  But  some  Pedobaptists  claim  the  Spiritual 
Almanac  as  a  very  ancient  and  pure  Waldensean  document. 
It  is  relied  on  by  Perrin  and  Wall  to  refute  the  standing 
charge  of  the  Catholics,  that  the  Waldenses  rejected  infant 
baptism.  This  charge  of  the  Catholic  writers,  that  the  Wal- 
denses "rejected  the  baptism  of  infants,"  Paul  Perrin  calls 
a  ^' caluniny.^^  He  remarks:  "The  fourth  calumny  was 
concernino;  baptism,  which  it  is  said  they  „ 
denied  to  miants.  J^  rom  this  imputation 
they  quit  themselves  as  follows:  ^Neither  is  the  time  or 
place  appointed  for  those  who  must  be  baptized ;  but  char- 
ity, and  the  edification  of  the  church  and  congregation, 
ought  to  be  the  rule  in  this  matter;  yet,  notwithstanding, 
we  bring  our  children  to  be  baptized, — which  they  ought  to 
do  to  whom  they  are  nearest  related — as  are  their  parents^ 
or  those  whom  God  hath  inspired  with  such  a  charity.^ " 
Any  one  who  is  partially  acquainted  with  the  history  of 
the  Waldenses,  must  be  convinced,  at  once,  that  this  Spir- 
itual Almanac,  as  quoted  by  Perrin,  is  not  a  genuine  an- 


124  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

cient  Waldensean  document.  It  bears  upon  its  face  its 
own  condemnation.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the 
ancient  Waldenses  held  with  death-like  tenacity  to  the 
"word  of  God  alone  as  the  rule  of  action  in  matters  of  re- 
ligion; but  these  Waldenses,  of  Spiritual- Almanac  noto- 
riety, appeal  to  charity  and  the  edification  of  the  church 
and  congregation  as  "  the  rule  in  this  matter  "  of  baptizing 
infants!  Does  any  one  suppose  for  a  moment  that  the 
ancient  witnesses  of  God,  the  Waldenses,  would  deviate 
from  God's  Avord  and  make  a  pseudo  charity  the  rule  of 
action  ?  No.  This  Almanac  did  not  come  from  the  an- 
cient Waldenses.  But  the  apology  of  Paul  Perrin  for 
the  Catholic  charge  against  the  Waldenses  for  rejecting 
infant  baptism,  only  makes  bad,  worse;  and  places  the 
Waldenses  in  a  very  unenviable  position,  indeed.  And 
if  he  is  correct,  it  would  be  hard  enough  even  for  the 
modern  Pedobaptists  to  claim  affinity  with  the  Waldenses 
at  all.  He  says :  "  True  it  is,  that,  being  for  some  hun- 
dreds of  years  constrained  to  suffer  their 
W?!^  28*  children  to  be  baptized  by  the  Romish 
priests,  they  deferred  the  doing  of  it  as 
long  as  possible,  because  they  detested  the  human  inven- 
tions annexed  to  the  institution  of  that  Holy  Sacrament, 
which  they  looked  upon  as  pollutions  of  it.  Their  pas- 
tors, whom  they  called  barbes,  being  often  in  travels 
abroad,  for  the  service  of  their  churches,  they  could  not 
have  baptism  administered  to  their  children  by  their  own 
ministry.  They,  therefore,  sometimes  kept  them  long 
without  baptism,  upon  which  delay  the  priests  charged 
them  with  that  reproach.  To  which,  not  only  their  ad- 
versaries have  given  credit,  but  many  of  those  also  who 
have  approved  of  their  lives  and  faith  in  all  other  points." 


Ancient   Waldenses  baptists.  125 

If  any  one  fact  in  all  history  is  settled  beyond  contro- 
versy, it  is  the  fact  that  the  ancient  Waldenses  utterly  ab- 
horred the  Romish  Church,  with  all  of  its  ordinances  and' 
worship,  as  the  Apocalyptic  woman  drunk  with  the  blood 
of  the  saints.  And  it  was  for  rejecting  her  baptism  and 
fellowship  that  they  suffered  indescribable  persecutions 
and  afilictions  for  centuries.  They  stood  as  the  witnesses 
against  Antichrist  during  the  midnight  of  the  world.  But 
now  some  Pedobaptist  historians  have  found  a  class  of  so- 
called  Waldenses,  who  suffered  their  children  to  he  bap- 
tized by  the  Romish  priests  for  hundreds  of  years  together ; 
and  this,  they  tell  us,  was  because  their  pastors  were  often 
abroad  in  the  service  of  their  churches;  therefore,  as  they 
could  not  get  baptism  from  the  hands  of  their  own  minis- 
ters, they  carried  their  children  to  the  Romish  priests  for 
baptism ! ! ! 

The  Pedobaptists  are  welcome  to  such  an  ancestry  as 
have,  to  avoid  persecution,  submitted  to  the  most  debas- 
ing superstitions  and  idolatries  of  Antichrist.  But  these 
were  not  the  true  Waldenses,  who  resisted  Rome  even  to 
the  shedding  of  their  own  blood.  It  is  admitted  that  these 
Calixtine  Pedobaptist  Waldenses  existed  in  Bohemia  and 
other  places,  even  before  the  time  of  Luther.  And  this 
is  the  class  of  Waldenses  that  united  with  the  Reformers 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  They  not  only  submitted  to 
Romish  infant  baptism,  but  they  committed  the  grossest 
idolatry  in  going  to  the  Catholic  mass.  Of  this  class  cf 
modern  Waldenses,  Mr.  Orchard  remarks  :  "  These  com- 
promising Vaudois,  with  their  remote  an- 
cestry and  proo^eny,  form  evidently  the  7  r  ^^o/-^^"' 
class  01  the  evangelicals  whose  conduct  is 
an  exact  key  to  Perrin's  account.     This  is  supported  by 


126  Tlie  Ancient   Waldenses, 

tlieir  state  in   1530,  when  the  churches  connected  loiih 

George  Moril  to  save  themselves  from  Catholic  rage,  did 

go  to  mass  in  Provence,  and  pleaded  it  was  no  great  harm, 

provided  their  hearts  were  kept  right  with  God.     Foi 

which  prevarication  and  hypocrisy  the  reformer  Oecolam- 

padius  rebukes  them,  and  condemns  the  practice.'^  "  Such 

were  not  witnesses  of  the  truth. ^^ 

Even  the  learned  Dr.  Wall,  after  all  of  his  efforts  to 

find  infant   baptism  among    the    ancient 

'    _^_  '  ■'    Waldenses,  admits  that  in  their  older  con- 

p.  597.  .  ^ 

fessions  the  Waldenses  say  nothing  about 
infant  baptism. 

The  reader  is  now  pretty  well  prepared  to  discriminate 
between  the  ancient  and  modern  Waldenses.  But  to  re- 
move all  doubt  upon  this  subject,  we  now  introduce  other 
witnesses  on  this  important  question. 

Mr.   Robinson,  the  historian,   says :    ^'  They   ( ancient 

Waldenses)  are  also  distinguished  from 
Eoh:s  Eccl  Res.  ^^^^  ^^^^^^  Yaudois,  and  the  reformed 
p.  4ol.  \ 

churches,  by  not  using    any  liturgy;  by 

not  compelling  faith;  by  condemning  parochial  churches; 
by  not  taking  oaths;  by  allowing  every  person,  even  wo- 
men, to  teach ;  by  not  practicing  infant  baptism ;  by  not 
admitting  godfathers;  by  rejecting  all  sacerdotal  habits; 
by  denying  all  ecclesiastical  orders  of  priesthood,  Papal 
and  Episcopal;  by  not  bearing  arms,  and  by  their  abhor- 
rence of  every  species  of  persecution.^^ 

How  wide  the  ecclesiastical  gulf  between  the  ancient 
Waldenses — who  patiently  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things, 
even  to  life  itself,  rather  than  shed  the  blood  of  others— 
and  these  modern  Pedobaptist  Waldenses,  who  established 
themselves  by  cruel  war  and  bloody  revenge ! 


Ancient   Wcildenses  (Baptists.  127 

In  describing  the  modern  Waldenses  in  their  struggles 
to  establish  themselves  in  the  valleys,  the  American  Sun- 
day School  Union  testifies  as  follows  :  "  And  what  is  still 

more  lamentable,  the  Vaudois,  having  no 

n  ■  ^'        r      4.^  -x       /•  - 1        JS^is-  Wald.,A.JS. 

means  of  providmg  lor  the  security  ot  the     „  jj         ' 

prisoners,  were  compelled,  for  their  own 

safety,  to  put  to  the  sword  every  man  that  fell  into  their 

hands/^ 

No  one  who  is  not  prompted  by  sectarian  motives,  will 
associate  these  warlike  Waldenses  with  the  ancient  suffer- 
ing witnesses  for  Christ,  called  Waldenses. 

It  is  also  a  vrell  known  fact  in  history,  that  the  ancient 
Waldenses  firmly  resisted  every  form  of 
State   religion.      But   these   Pedobaptist    ^^Orch  vol.  I 
\V  aldenses   were   incorporated    into   na-    g^  ^  jj  ^   -^^ 
tional  churches,  and  their  ministers  finally 
were  enrolled  among  the  State  clergy  of  the  empire. 

It  was  about  the  year  1532  that  the  Pedobaptist  AYal- 
denses,  in  connection  with  George  Moril  and  Peter  Mas- 
son,  united  w^ith  the  Reformers  under  Luther  and  Calvin. 
And  this  class  of  Waldenses  were  classed  by  the  Catho- 
lics with  the  Lutherans.  This  union  with  the  Reformers 
was  effected  through  the  instrumentality  of  Oecolampa- 
dius. 

Concerning  the  distinction  between  the  ancient  and 
modern  AYaldenses,  Mr.  Benedict  remarks:  "For  a  num- 
ber of  the  first  centuries  their  discipline 
partook  of  the  freedom  and  simplicity  of  ^^^*  '^*  ^'^^ '' 
the  Baptists,  and  was  more  free  as  to  the 
teaching  of  females,  and  the  brotherhood  generally,  than 
many  of  our  churches  would  now  admit.  By  degrees 
they  were  moulded  into  Presbyterian  measures,  and  in 


128  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

the  end,  that  portion  of  them  which  still  survived  in  the 
ancient  valleys,  adopted  in  substance  the  Episcopal  fornj 
of  church  government/^ 

The  author  of  the  Encyclopedia  of  Religious  Knowl- 
edge remarks  that :  "  It  is  necessary  here  that  we  distin- 
guish  between   the  ancient  and  modern 
Rellgwi^Encyc.,     ^^y^i^^^^^^^     It  appears,  from  all  the  ac- 

counts  we  gather  of  them  before  the  Re- 
formation, that  their  principles  and  practice  were  more  pure 
and  Scriptural  than  since  that  period/' 

Mr.  Jones,  as  the  special  historian  of  the  Waldenses,  is 
still  more  explicit  on  this  point.  In  the  preface  to  his 
fifth  London  edition,  Mr.  Jones  says,  in  reply  to  the  com- 
plaint of  Mr.  Gilly,  who  found  fault  with  Jones  because 
he  carried  the  history  of  the  Waldenses  no  further  than 
the  year  1686:  "This  is  certainly  true;  but  my  defense 

is  an  easy  one — my  narrative  stops  where 
Jones'  Fifth  Edi-     .i       ,        "      j        -r         i»        ±        •        .ii- 
^y  the  story  ends.     I  proiess  to  give  the  his- 

tory of  the  churches  of  Piedmont  and 
other  places,  commonly  designated  Waldenses  and  Albi- 
genses,  not  of  individuals ;  and  as  I  consider  those  churches 
to  have  been  utterly  dispersed  and  scattered  by  a  series  of 
persecutions  which  terminated  in  the  year  1686,  I  con- 
sider myself  to  have  brought  the  subject  to  its  legitimate 
close.  If  we  give  credit  to  a  host  of  writers  belonging  to 
the  Church  of  England,  the  two  witnesses  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse (Rev.  xi:  3,  4,  etc.)  were  the  two  churches,  or,  to 
speak  more  properly,  the  two  classes  of  churches,  w^hich 
passed  under  the  names  of  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses. 
*  *  *  *  Now,  these  two  witnesses,  after  prophesying 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years  in  sackcloth,  according  to 
the  prophetic  testimony,  w^ere  to  be  finally  overcome  and 


Ancient   V/aldenses  (Baptists.  129 


killed  by  the  Beast  that  ascended  out  of  the  bottomless 
pit.  (Rev.  xi:  7.)  This  event  I  consider  to  have  been 
consummated  in  the  year  1686,  and  consequently  as  term- 
inatino^  the  historv  of  the  Waldenses.'^  Mr.  Jones  further 
remarks :  '^  But  it  may  be  asked,  does  not  the  page  of 

history  record,  that  in  the  year  1689,  about 

.    1  ,  •111  J    1  i"  Jones^  Fifth  JEdi- 

eiffht  or  nme  hand  red  men  proceeded  irom  ^.         ^r 

°       .  -'-  .  ,  tion,  p.  9. 

the  neighborhood  of  Geneva,  equipjoed  with 
arms  and  ammunition^  re-entered  their  own  country,  drove 
away  the  new  inhabitants,  after  many  contests  with  their 
enemies,  obtained  a  reinstatement  in  their  former  posses- 
sions ?  Certainly ;  there  is  no  disposition  to  deny  the  fact ; 
but  I  beg  leave  to  ask  Mr.  Gilly,  and  those  who  dwell 
upon  it,  of  what  description  of  persons  did  this  new  race 
of  Waldenses  consist — and  are  they  prepared  to  show  us 
a  number  of  churches  formed  by  them  bearing  any  resem- 
blance to  those  of  the  ancient  Waldenses,  which  were  dis- 
persed by  the  armies  of  Louis  XIV.  and  the  Duke  of  Sa- 
voy? We  are  quite  content  to  rest  the  issue  of  this  inquiry 
on  the  testimony  which  is  borne  to  the  present  state  of 
the  Vaudois,  by  our  author,  and  the  other  members  of  the 
established  church,  compared  w^ith  the  accounts  w^hicli 
have  been  transmitted  to  us  by  friends  and  foes  concern- 
ing their  ancestors.^^  Again,  after  showing  that  the  pres- 
ent inhabitants  of  the  valleys  sprinkled  infants,  Mr.  Jones 
says  of  the  ancient  Waldenses,  that  they  represent  them- 
selves thus  :  "  ^We  believe  that  in  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism,^ say  they,  the  water  is  ^the  visible 

1        ,  1     .  1  .  1  ,      ,  Jones'  Fifth  Edi- 

and  external  sign  which  represents  to  us      .  •:-. 

that  which,  by  virtue  of  God's  invisible 
'operation,  is  within   us — namely,  the  renovation  of  our 
minds,   and  the  mortification  of  our  members  through 


130  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

Jesus  Christ.  And  by  this  ordinance  we  are  received  into 
the  holy  congregation  of  God's  people,  previously  p7^ofess- 
ing  our  faith  and  change  of  life  J 

And,  with  regard  to  baptism  of  infants,  they  insist 
upoi;  it  to  be  one  of  the  leading  features  of  Antichrist. 
Their  words  are  :  ^  He  teaches  to  baptize  children  into  the 
faith,  and  attributes  to  this  the  work  of  regeneration ; 
thus  confounding  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  regener- 
ation, with  the  external  rite  of  baptism,  and  on  this  foun- 
dation bestows  orders,  and  indeed  grounds  all  his  Chris- 
tianity.' ''  And,  on  the  same  page,  Mr.  Jones  concludes 
thus :  "  Enough  has  surely  been  said  to 
Jones^  Fifth  Mi-    ^^^^^^  ^j^^^  ^^^^  present  race  of  Protestant 

tlOn,    p.     11.  T^  n  T        1 

churches  in  Piedmont  bear  little  or  no 
affinity  to  the  ancient  Waldenses,  either  in  their  doctrinal 
sentiments,  their  discipline  and  external  order,  or  their 
religious  practices ;  and  it  is  an  act  of  justice  to  the  mem- 
ory of  these  excellent  people  to  rescue  them  from  this 
unnatural  alliance.''  And  after  thus  showing  that  the 
ancient  and  modern  Waldenses  were  totally  different  in 
their  denominational  character,  Mr.  Jones  says  of  the 

former  that :  "  They  brought  up  their  chil- 

Jones^  Fifth  Edi-     -i         -     ±.\  -  ^     ^         -x-         i?  x-l 

,.  "^  dren  m  the  nurture  and  admonition  ot  the 

tion,  p.  12. 

Lord ;  but  they  neither  sprinkled  nor  im- 
mersed them,  under  the  notion  of  administering  Christian 
baptism ;  they  were,  in  a  word,  so  many  distinct  churches 
of  Anti-pedobaptists." 

Enough  testimony  has  now  been  introduced  to  satisfy 
every  unprejudiced  mind  that  the  modern  Waldenses  are 
totally  distinct,  in  their  faith  and  practice,  from  the  ancient 
Waldenses,  who  were  driven  from  the  valleys  of  Pied- 
mont in  1686,  by  the  relentless  cruelty  of  the  army  of 


Ancient   Waldenses  (Baptists.  131 

Louis  XIV.  So,  when  the  Baptists  claim  the  Waldenses 
as  their  ancestors,  they  do  not  refer  to  the  present  inhabit- 
ants of  the  valleys,  but  to  the  original  Waldenses,  who 
dwelt  in  the  valleys  before  the  time  of  Luther's  Eeforma- 
tion.  The  present  inhabitants  of  these  valleys,  called 
Waldenses,  are  not  Baptists.  They  are  a  different  race 
of  Waldenses  from  the  original  witnesses  who  dwelt  in  the 
valleys  before  the  Reformation.  Many  modern  Pedobap- 
tists,  like  the  Pharisees  in  the  time  of  Christ,  build  the 
tomb  of  the  Waldenses,  though  their  own  fathers  killed 
them.  And  while  they  praise  to  the  skies  these  noble 
martyrs,  they  persecute  to  the  extent  of  their  power  those 
who  now  advocate  the  same  doctrine  for  which  the  Wal- 
denses suffered,  bled,  and  died.  But,  in  order  to  stop  the 
mouth  of  every  gainsayer,  we  here  present  a  few  other  wit- 
nesses in  vindication  of  the  Waldenses  from  the  charge 
of  Pedobaptism.  Mr.  Benedict  says  :  "  I  „ 
nave  said  that,  irom  very  early  times,  up 
to  the  fifteenth  century,  the  Baptist,  or,  at  least,  the  Anti- 
pedobaptist  character  of  a  multitude  of  that  great  commu- 
nity which  passed  under  the  general  name  of  Waldenses 
and  Albigenses,  is  very  strongly  developed;  it  is  indicated 
by  the  canons,  decrees,  and  anathemas  of  so  many  coun- 
cils ;  by  the  statutes  of  so  many  states  and  governments ; 
and  the  impeachments  and  complaints  of  so  many  old 
writers  on  the  Pedobaptist  side,  that  a  man  of  but  a  mod- 
erate share  of  ecclesiastical  knowledge  must  make  a  judy 
of  himself  to  deny  it,  or  prove  himself  an  unfair  historian 
if  he  attempts  to  conceal  it."  Again,  Dr.  Wall,  the  learned 
Episcopalian,  admits  that :  "  The  Popish  jii^t.  Inf.  Bapt., 
writers  of  that  time,  who  wrote  against  p.  596. 
them   [the  Waldenses],  some  of  which    do   plainly  and 


132  TJie  J.:icidnt   Waldenses. 

fully  charge  some  of  them  with  denymg  it" — infant 
baptism.  It  is  a  conceded  fact,  by  all  candid  historians, 
that  the  Roman  Catholics  not  only  accused  the  Waldenses 
of  neglecting  infant  baptism,  but  they  waged  constant 
persecution  against  them,  in  order  to  force  them  to  bap- 
tize their  infants.  This  would  not  have  been  the  case  had 
the  Waldenses  been  Pedobaptists.  In  regard  to  this  per- 
secution against  the  AYaldenses,  to  force  them  to  baptize 

children,  Mr.  Jones  says :  "  On  the  31st 
.^Q      *        *'    of  January,  1686,  they  were  amazed  at 

the  publication  of  an  order  from  the 
Duke  of  Savoy,  forbidding  his  subjects  the  exercise  of  the 
Protestant  religion  upon  pain  of  death ;  the  confiscation 
of  their  goods ;  the  demolition  of  their  churches ;  and  the 
banishment  of  their  pastors.  All  infants  born  from  that 
time  were  to  be  baptized  and  brought  up  in  the  Poman 
Catholic  religion,  under  the  penalty  of  their  fathers  being 
condemned  to  the  galleys.'^  We  here  insert  the  language 
of  Victor  Amadeus,  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  in  his  cruel  edict 
against  the  Waldenses.     These  are  his  own  words  :  ^^  And 

concerning  the  children  that  shall  be  born 
^  aTs  ^^ '    ^y  ^^ther  and  mother  of  the  said  pretended 

Peformed  religion,  our  intention  is  that, 
after  the  publishing  this  present  edict,  they  shall  be  bap- 
tized by  the  priests  of  the  parish  that  are  already,  or  that 
shall  be,  established  for  the  future  in  the  said  valleys : 
to  this  purpose  we  command  their  fathers  and  mothers 
to  send  or  bring  them  to  the  churches,  under  pain  of 
being  sent  five  years  to  the  galleys  for  their  fathers,  and 
whipping  for  their  mothers;  and,  moreover,  the  said 
children  shall  be  brought  up  in  the  said  Catholic,  Apos- 
tolic, and  Poman  religion.     And  we  command  expressly 


Ancient   Wakienses  (Baptists.  133 

all  judges,  bailiffs,  goalers,  and  other  officers,  to  see  these 
presents  duly  executed.'^ 

If  the  Waldenses  had  been  sound  Pedobaptists,  where 
would  have  been  the  necessity  of  publicly  whipping  the 
\Yaldensean  mothers,  sending  the  fathers  to  hard  labor  in 
prison,  and  taking  their  children  away  from  them  in  order 
to  baptize  and  raise  them  in  the  Catholic  religion !  The 
ancient  Waldenses  were  not  Pedobaptists ;  and  they  are 
grossly  misrepresented  when  accused  of  infant  baptism. 
Mr.  Orchard,  the  historian,  testifies  as  follows :  ^'  The  an- 
cestors of  the  Waldenses,  were  termed 
Vaudois,  Puritans,  Paterines,  Lyonists,  ^f  '  ^-^  *  ^*' 
Petrobrusians,  ArnoldiHtSy  Berengarians ; 
these,  with  the  Paulicians,  were  one  and  the  same  peo- 
ple; and,  so  far  as  information  can  be  obtained,  were  all 
Anti-pedobaptists,  which  has  been  previously  proved  in 
their  respective  sections.  These  all  agreed  in  one  article 
of  discipline — they  re-baptized  all  such  as  came  into  their 
communion  from  the  Catholic  Church;  hence  were  called 
Anabaptists.^^  In  fact,  it  was  the  universal  complaint  of 
the  Catholics  against  the  Waldenses  that  they  neglected 
the  baptism  of  infants.  "  Cardinal  Hos- 
sius,  who  presided  at  the  Council  of  Trent,  '  "^  ^  ^^  *  ^^'' 
and  wrote  a  history  of  the  heresy  of  his 
own  times,  says,  the  Waldenses  rejected  infant  baptism, 
and  re-baptized  all  who  embraced  their  sentiments.'^ 

Mr.  Orchard  closes  his  testimony  upon  this  point  in  the 

following  language :  "  Amidst  all  the  pro- 

T      ,.  p         T  .,  r  ■       1  1  r  Orch.  Bapt.  His., 

ductions  of  early  writers,  friends  and  foes,    ^^^  j     ^g^^ 
confessors  of  the  whole  truth  and  opposers 
of   it,    annalists,    historians,    recorders,    inquisitors,    and 
others,  with   the  labored   researches  of  Usher,  Newton, 


134  Tiie  Ancient   V/aldenses. 

Allix,  Collier,  "Wall,  Perrin,"  Leger,  Moreland,  Mosheim, 
Macleane,  Gilly,  Sims,  and  others— all  of  the  Pedobaptist 
persuasion,  Avitli  every  advantage  of  learning  on  their  side, 
who  collated  councils,  canons,  synods,  conferences,  chroni- 
cles, decrees,  bulls,  sermons,  homilies,  confessions,  creeds, 
liturgies,  etc.,  from  the  private  creed  of  Irenseus  down  to 
the  rules  of  Augsburg;  Avho  examined  documents  at  home, 
and  explored  territories  abroad, — their  united  labors  could 
never  produce  a  single  dated  document  or  testimony 
of  Pedobaptism  among  the  Vaudois,  separate  from  the 
K»omish  community,  from  Novatian's  rupture  to  the  death 
of  the  execrable  monster,  Alexander  VI.,  1503.^' 

It  is  said  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  y/itnesses 
every  word  shall  be  established;  and  from  the  testimony 
of  friends  and  foes,  Baptists,  Protestants  and  Catholics, 
tve  have  proved  that  the  ancient  Waldenses  luere  Anti- 
pedohaptists.  With  such  mountains  of  testimony  rising 
up  before  us,  it  is  useless  to  introduce  other  witnesses  on 
this  point;  for  he  that  will  not  be  convinced  by  the  testi- 
mony already  adduced,  that  the  original  Waldenses  did 
not  baptize  infants,  need  not  be  argued  with;  for  such  are 
given  over  to  prejudice  and  blindness  of  heart.  In  as- 
cending the  stream  of  history  we  have  discovered  that 
the  ancient  Waldenses  are  the  real  ancestors  of  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  of  the  present  day.  But  we  will,  for 
the  accommodation  of  those  who  are  weak  in  the  faith, 
introduce  other  witnesses  on  this  point. 

All,  who  possess  even  a  moderate  share  of  historic 
knowledge,  must  admit  that  every  Pedobaptist  confession 
of  faith,  ancient  or  modern,  teaches,  directly  and  pjosi- 
lively,  the  doctrine  of  infant  baptism. 


Ancient   Waldenses  baptists.  135 

We  now  proceed  to  examine  the  ancient  Waldensean 
confessions  on  this  subject. 

First:  We  refer  the  reader  to  an  ancient  Waldensean 

confession^  as  given  by  Jones  the  historian,  and  also  found 

in  Perrin  and  others.    In  this  confession,  article  twelfth,  the 

a  ncient  Waldenses  say :  "  We  consider  the 

sacraments  as  sims  of  holy  thin2;s,  or  as    "^^^ff!  ^^'  ^^^•' 
^1         ••11  11  r-      •  -11     ^^       •  P*  ^^^5  see  also, 

the  visible  emblems  oi  invisible  blessings,    perrin  chap.  12. 

We  regard  it  as  proper  and  even  necessary 

that  believers  use  these  symbols  or  visible  forms  when  it 

can  be  done.     Notwithstanding  which,  we  maintain  that 

believers  may  be  saved  without  these  signs,  when  they 

have  neither  place  nor  opportunity  to  observe  them.^^ 

This  ancient  Waldensean  confession  contains  not  even 
the  slightest  intimation  of  infant  baptism.  It  refers  alone 
to  the  baptism  of  believers.  It  is,  therefore,  an  Anti- 
pedobaptist  confession.  This  confession  is  admitted  by 
all  to  be  an  ancient  document,  written  about  the  year 
eleven  hundred  and  twenty. 

Second:  Mr.  Jones  gives  another  ancient  AValdensean 
confession   of  the   twelfth   century;    and 
while  it  speaks  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's        ^49      *         ' 
Supper,  it  has  not  one  word  about  infant 
baptism. 

Third :  In  another  ancient  confession  of  the  Waldenses, 

we '  have  the  seventh  article j  as  follows : 

"  We  believe  that  in  the  ordinance  of  bap-    '^^'^/f'  ^^''  ^'- 

,  .1         .  .,  ,  T  ^       p.  251;  see  also, 

t]sm  the  water  is  the  visible  and  external    p^^y^in  chap.  12. 

sign  which  represents  to  us  that  which, 
by  virtue   of  God's   invisible   operation,    is  within    us; 
namely,  the  renovation  of  our  minds  and  the  mortifica- 
tion  of  our  members,   through   Jesus   Christ.     And  by 


136  The  Ancient   Waldenses, 

this  ordinance  we  are  received  into  the  holy  congrega- 
tion of  God's  people,  previously  professing  and  declaring 
our  faith  and  change  of  life." 

Is  this  a  Pedobaptist  confession?  These  Waldenses 
emphatically  state,  that  by  this  ordinance  (baptism)  we  are 
received  into  the  holy  congregation  of  God^s  people,  pre- 
viously PROFESSING  AND  DECLARING  OUR  FAITH  AND 
CHANGE  OF  LIFE. 

Can  little  infants  profess  faith  and  a  change  of  life  be- 
fore baptism?  Will  Drs.  Miller  and  Eice  claim  this  as  a 
Pedobaptist  confession  of  faith?  It  would  be  quite  as 
easy  to  find  infant  baj)tism  in  the  Bible  as  in  this  con- 
fession. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  Dr.  Wall,  the  champion 
of  infant  baptism,  admits  that  the  ancient  Waldensean 
confessions  say  nothing  of  infant  baptism. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  in  the  catechism  of  the 
ancient  Waldenses  for  the  instruction  of  youth,  nothing  is 
said  of  infant  baptism,  though  the  church  and  its  ordi- 
nances are  referred  to.  Who  ever  heard  of  a  Pedobaptist 
catechism  which  leaves  out  infant  baptism?  There  is  no 
such  catechism  in  existence. 

Another  ancient  Waldensean  document  is  called  the 
^' Noble  Lesson."  It  was  Avritten  in  the  original  Walden- 
sean language,  and  dated  in  the  year  1100.  This  docu-. 
ment  is  appealed  to  by  all  historians  as  an  authentic 
Waldensean  production.  It  exhibits  the  purity  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Waldenses  in  contrast  with  the  corrup- 
tions of  Eome.  Infant  baptism  can  not  be  found  in  the 
Noble  Lessons.  In  regard  to  the  ministry  of  the  apos- 
tles, the  Noble  Lessons  says:  ^^And  they  [the  apostles] 
pa-oclaimed  without  fear  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  preaching 


Ancient   Waldenses  (Baptists.  137 

to  Jews  and  Greeks,  and  working  many  miracles.     And 

tluy  baptized  the  believers  in  the  name  of 

Jesus  Christ.     Then  there  became  a  peo-         'r,    '  *' 

pie  of  new  converts,  and  they  were  called 

Christians  because  they  trusted  in  Christ." 

Yes;  this  Noble  Lesson  of  the  ancient  Waldenses,  like 
the  Bible  from  which  it  was  drawn,  teaches  the  baptism 
of  believers  only.  It  knows  nothing  of  infant  baptism. 
And  yet  we  are  told  that  the  ancient  Waldenses  were 
Pedobaptists ! 

Once  more,  we  call  attention  to  the  ancient  Walden- 
sean  document  called  "  A  Treatise  concerning  Antichrist," 
etc.  This  treatise,  or  work  on  Antichrist,  bears  date,  A.  D. 
1120,  which  is  nearly  half  a  century  before  the  time  of 
Peter  Waldo.  In  describing  Antichrist,  this  work  says : 
"  He  teaches  to  baptize  children  into  the 
faith,  and  attributes  to  this  the  work  of  ^^'\'!'  ^^'  ^"^'^ 
regeneration,  thus  confounding  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  regeneration  with  the  external  rite 
of  baptism,  and  on  this  foundation  bestows  orders,  and, 
indeed,  grounds  all  his  Christianity." 

Reader,  take  notice;  the  Waldenses  are  here  describing 
Antichrist.  And  as  one  work  of  Antichrist  by  which  he 
may  be  identified,  they  say  that  he  teaches  to  baptize  chil- 
dren into  the  faith,  and  attributes  to  this  the  work  of  regen- 
eration; thus  exhibiting  the  fact  that  they  considered  in- 
fant baptism  and  baptismal  regeneration  (which  tv/o 
are  so  neai  ly  allied  to  each  other)  as  the  work  of  Anti- 
christ— a  mark  of  the  Beast. 


138  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 


Section  IY. — Origin  of  the  waldenses. 

Tn  tracing  the  stream  of  Baptist  history  to  its  fountain- 
head  we  have,  with  Mosheim,  followed  it  into  the  remote 
depths  of  antiquity,  and  found  the  ancient  AYaldenses,  en- 
vironed with  the  snow-clad  Alps,  contending  for  the  same 
faith  and  practice,  and  suffering  for  the  same  principles 
now  advocated  by  Baptists.  We  have  now  reached  an 
age  of  the  world  centuries  before  the  modern  sects  had  a 
being  on  the  earth.  Episcopalianism,  Lutheranism,  Cal- 
vinism, Methodism,  and  Campbellism,  with  every  other 
ism  of  modern  date,  were  unknown  to  these  early  ages  of 
trial ;  and  while  the  gloomy  darkness  of  Romanism  over- 
shadowed our  sin-smitten  world,  these  ancient  Waldenses 
were  the  unwavering  witnesses  for  the  truth  of  Christ, 
and  stood  as  the  light  of  the  world  through  this  long 
and  gloomy  period  of  moral  darkness.  But  where  did 
these  Waldenses  originate?  We  have  already  seen  that 
they  did  not  commence  with  Peter  Waldus,  but,  long  be- 
fore the  time'  of  Peter's  separation  from  Pome,  we  find 
them  battling  for  the  same  glorious  truths  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  for  which  they  suffered  in  after  times.  Peter,  in- 
stead of  originating  the  Waldenses,  joined  them  and  re- 
ceived his  name  Waldus,  or  Waldensis,  from  them.  It 
has  already  been  observed  that  the  term  Albigenses  is  only 
another  name  for  the  same  class  of  persons  called  Yv^al- 
denses.  While  the  Waldenses  inhabited  the  valleys  of 
Piedmont,  the  Albigenses  dwelt  in  the  southern  provincca 
of  France.  But  where  did  they  originate?  Shall  we  ask 
the  bleeding  Waldenses  themselves  from  whence  they 
came  ?  In  their  petition  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy  for  liberty 
to  worship    God  without  molestation,   "They  implored 


Origin  of  V.w   Wald.nses.  139 

tiis  highness  to  consider  that  their  religious  profession 
was  not  a  thing  of  yesterday,  as  their  ad- 
versaries falsely  reported;  but  had  been  'f  ^'^^  ^^''  ^^^•' 
the  profession  of  their  fathers,  grand- 
fathers, and  great-grandfathers;  yea,  of  their  predeces- 
sors of  still  more  ancient  times,  even  of  the  martyrs,  con- 
fessors, apostles,  and  prophets ;  and  they  called  upon  their 
adversaries  to  prove  the  contrary,  if  they  were  able.^^ 
These  persecuted  martyrs  of  Christ  claimed  that  their 
profession  was  handed  down  to  them  from  apostolic  times. 
And,  as  all  denominations  are  allowed  to  give  their  own 
history,  which  ought  to  be  taken  as  correct,  unless  it  con- 
flicts with  known  facts,  Avhy  not  respect  the  statements  of 
these  witnesses  of  Jesus?  But  this  claim  of  the  AValdenses 
does  not  conflict  with  any  known  facts ;  therefore,  their 
testimony  is  valid,  and  must  not  be  despised.  Men  who 
suffered,  as  did  the  ancient  Waldenses,  for  the  truth,  would 
not  knowingly  utter  falsehood  in  regard  to  their  own  his- 
tory. But  if  they  did  not  descend  from  the  apostolic  age, 
they  knew  it,  and  are,  therefore,  liable  to  the  charge  of 
falsehood.  This  can  not  be;  then  this  statement  of  the 
Waldenses  is  true.  In  regard  to  the  rise  of  the  Waldenses, 
the  celebrated  Theodore  Beza,  the  successor  of  Calvin, 
says :  "As  for  the  Waldenses,  I  may  be  permitted  to  call 

them  the  very  seed  of  the  primitive  and 

rw     '  ,•        /^i         1        •  xi  Jones'    Ch.  His.. 

purer  Christian  Church,  smce   they    are        ^^q 

those  that  have  been  upheld,  as  is  abund- 
antly manifest,  by  the  wonderful  providence  of  God,  so 
that  neither  those  endless  storms  and  tempests  by  which 
the  whole  Christian  world  has  been  shaken  for  so  many 
succeeding  ages,  and  the  western  parts  at  length,  so  mis- 
erably oppressed  by  the  Bishop  of  Rome  falsely  so  called, 


140  TJie  Ancient   Waldenses. 

nor  those  horrible  persecutions  which  have  been  expressly 
raised  against  them,  were  ever  able  so  far  to  prevail  as  to 
make  them  bend,  or  yield  a  voluntary  subjection  to  the 
Roman  tyranny  and  idolatry." 

^^On  another  occasion  the  same  writer  remarks,  that 

Hhe  Waldenses,  time  out  of  mind,   have 

Jones^^  Ch.  His.,    ^^^^^gg j  ^j^^  ^l^.^s^s  ^f  the  Church  of  Rome, 

and  have  been  persecuted  after  s  ich  a 
manner,  not  by  the  sword  of  the  word  of  God,  but  by 
every  species  of  cruelty,  added  to  a  million  of  calumnies 
and  false  accusations,  that  they  have  been  compelled  to 
disperse  themselves  wdierever  they  could,  wandering 
through  the  deserts  like  wild  beasts.  The  Lord,  never- 
theless, has  so  preserved  the  residue  of  them,  that,  not- 
withstanding the  rage  of  the  w^hole  world,  they  still  in- 
habit three  countries,  at  a  great  distance  from  each  other, 
viz:  Calabria,  Bohemia,  and  Piedmont,  and  the  countries 
adjoining,  where  they  dispersed  themselves  from  the  quar- 
ters of  Provence  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  years 
ago.  And  as  to  their  religion,  they  nevfer  adhered  to  Pa- 
pal superstition,  for  which  reason  they  have  been  contin- 
ually harrassed,  by  the  bishops  and  inquisitors  abusing  the 
arm  of  secular  justice,  so  that  their  continuance  to  the 
present  time  is  evidently  miraculous.^  ^^ 

Yes ;  these  Waldensean  Baptists  w^ere  the  seed  of  the 
2)rimiiive  church,  and  upheld  by  the  wonderful  providence 
of  God,  so  that  those  endless  storms  and  tempests  lohich 
shook  the  whole  Christian  world  for  ages  failed  to  shake 
the  courageous  Waldenses.  And  all  the  fearful  persecu- 
tions, attended  by* every  engine  of  fiendish  cruelty,  and 
with  a  million  of  false  accusations,  failed  to  make  these 
ancient  Baptists  bow  to  the  Romish  Beast.   They  wandered 


Origin  o  '  the   IValdenses.  141 

in  the  deserts  like  ivild  beasts  of  the  forest,  and  there  en- 
dured  the  pelting  storms,  as  loell  as  the  rage  of  the  whole 
world;  and  their  preservation  to  the  present  time  is  em- 
dently  miraculous.  No  wonder  that  the  modern  sects  are 
so  anxious  to  claim  connection  with  this  noble  army  of 
witnesses  for  Jesus.  But  these  ancient  Waldenses  were 
incurable  "  Anabaptists/^  who  despised  infant  baptism  as 
a  mark  of  the  Beast.  They  were  Baptists  in  faith  and 
practice,  who  had  their  origin  in  the  time  of  Christ  and 
the  apostles.  But  let  us  hear  the  poet  Milton  in  regard 
to  the  origin  of  these  people.  He  says  :  "  Hence  the  most 
ancient  Reformed  churches  of  the  Wal- 
denses,  if  they  rather  continued  not  pure  „^^  ' '  '"- 
since  the  apostles'  days,  denied  that  tithes 
were  to  be  given,  or  that  they  were  ever  given  in  the 
primitive  church,  as  appears  by  an  ancient  tractate  in- 
serted in  the  Bohemian  history.^'  As  churches,  they  con- 
tinued pure  from  all  the  corruptions  of  Eome  from  the 
apostolic  age.  Oliver  Cromwell  says,  in  his  letter  to  the 
Swiss  Cantons :    "  Next  to  the  help  of  God,  it  seems  to 

devolve  on  you  to  provide  that  the  most 

.     ,     /     7      /•  7'    •  ,1        Jones'    Ch.  His., 

ancient  stock  oj  pure  religion  may  not  be 

destroyed  in  this  remnant  of  its  ancient 

faithful  professors,  whose  safety,  reduced  as  it  now  is  to 

the  extremity  of  hazard,  if  you  neglect,  beware  that  the 

next  lot  do  not  speedily  fall  upon  yourselves !  '^ 

In  this  letter  of  the  Dictator  of  England  to  the  Princes 

of  Switzerland  in  behalf  of  the  suffering  Waldenses,  who 

were  being  hunted  down  and  slain  as  the  beasts  of  the  field, 

he  truly  calls  them  the  most  ancient  stock  of  pure  religion. 

The  Swiss  ambassadors  who  were  sent  to  examine  the  sit- 


142  Tiie  Ancient   Waldenses. 

uation  of  the  AValdenscs,  report  as  follows  :    ^^  The  inhab- 
itants of  the  vallevs  did  not  hold,  bv  the 

Jones'    Ch.  His.,  .  i*  j.i     •*   td  •  ^\      ^^\      \     j. 

,,.-,  '    concessions  oi  their  Frinces,  the  liberty  to 

p.  ■iSyi.  .       ,  ,  ... 

exercise  in  public  their  religion ;  because 

it  was  established  in  this  country  above  eight  centuries 
ago;  and  that  they  enjoyed  this  right  kng  before  they 
were  the  subjects  of  his  royal  highness'  ancestors,  inso- 
much that,  having  never  been  of  the  same  religion  as  their 
Prince,  it  could  not  be  said  that  they  had  abandoned  it, 
nor  he  oblige  them  to  return  to  it." 

This  carries  the  history  of  the  Waldenses  in  the  valleys 
back  to  a  period  long  before  the  time  of  Peter  Waldo ; 
and  it  further  shows  that  they  were  never  of  the  same  re- 
ligion as  the  Catholics, 

In  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  Waldenses,  Orchard  says : 
^'The  orthodoxy  of  the  Xovatian  party,  with  the  influ- 
ence of  some  of  their  ministers,  is  sup- 

^^_L  ?f  '     '^''    posed  to  have  procured  some  mitio-ation  of 
pp.  0/,  08.  ^  ^         ,  .* 

the  law.  Constantine's  oppressive  meas- 
ures prompted  many  to  leave  the  scene  of  sufferings,  and 
retire  into  more  sequestered  spots.  Claudius  Seyssel,  the 
popish  archbishop,  traces  the  rise  of  the  Waldenseaii  heresy 
to  a  pastor  named  Leo,  leaving  Rome  at  this  period  for  the 
valleys.''  The  Novatians  were  persecuted  by  Constantine, 
the  first  to  unite  church  and  state;  and  numbers  of  these 
persecuted  Xovatians  left  Italy  for  the  valleys  of  Pied- 
mont at  different  times  from  about  the  year  325  to  425  ; 
and  these  wandering  Xovatians  were  in  after  times  called 
Waldenses.  It  then  appears  that  the  Waldenses  sprang 
from  the  Xovatians  who  fled  from  Italy  in  the  fourth 
century.  Again,  Mr.  Orchard  says,  upon  this  subject,  that : 
"  Echbertus  and  Emericus^  tAVO  avowedly  and  bitter  ene- 


Origin  of  the   Waldenses.  143 

lilies  of  the  Waldenses,  do  assert,  that  the  Orch.  Bapt.  His.y 
new  Puritans  (Waldenses)  do  conform  to  '^^^  ^?  P-  ^58. 
the  doctrines  and  manner  of  the  old  Puritans  {i.  e.,  the 
Novatians)/^  This  shows,  by  the  acknowledgment  of 
Pedobaptists  themselves,  that  the  AValdenses  descended 
from  the  Novatians.  And  Orchard  fixes  the  time  of  the 
general  dispersion  or  flight  of  the  Novatians  at  the  year 
413.  These  early  Waldenses  were  frequently  called  Pa- 
terines,  but  we  prefer  using  the  term  Waldenses,  to  avoid 
the  confusion  arising  from  the  use  of  so  many  names. 
Again,  Mr.  Orchard  says,  speaking  of  the  persecutions 
against  the  Waldenses  by  the  emperors  Theodosius  and 
Honorius,  that:  "  The  edict  was  probably  obtained  by  the 
influence  of  Augustine,  who  could  endure 
no  rival,  nor  would  he  bear  with  any  who  '^!'  ^^^ '  ^'^ 
questioned  the  virtue  of  his  rites,  or  the 
sanctity  of  his  brethren,  or  the  soundness  of  the  Catholic 
creed ;  and  these  points  being  disputed  by  the  Novatian- 
ists  and  Donatists,  two  powerful  and  extensive  bodies  of 
dissidents  in  Italy  and  Africa,  they  were  consequently 
made  to  feel  the  weight  of  his  influence.  These  combined 
modes  of  oppression  led  the  faithful  to  abandon  the  cities 
and  seek  retreats  in  the  country,  which  they  did,  particu- 
larly in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  the  inhabitants  of  whicli 
began  to  be  called  W^aldenses."  The  laws  of  the  fourth 
Lateran  council,  with  the  edicts  of  the  emperors  of  the 
East  and  West,  were  leveled  against  the  Novatians  and 
Donatists,  condemning  all  the  re-baptized  and  the  re-hap- 
tizers  to  suffer  death.  This  caused  many  of  them  to  flee 
into  the  wilderness,  to  the  valleys  prepared  for  their  recep- 
tion ;  where  they  soon  acquired  the  name  of  the  Waldenses. 
Thus  we  have  the  connection  clearly  made  out  between 


144  Tlie  Ancient   Woildenses. 

the  ancient  Waldenses  and  the  Novatians.  AYe  will  now 
introduce  the  testimony  of  the  learned  editor  of  the  En- 
cyclopedia of  Religious  knowledge.     He  remarks  that : 

^^It  seems  to  be  a  serious  mistake,  into 
ReUqious  Encyc,        i  •  i  i  .,  ■■  r.  ^^ 

^;._  -^   '    which  some  popular  writers  have  lallen, 

p.  114v.  ^    ^  .   .       ^ 

wdio  represent  the  Waldenses  as  originat- 
ino;  in  France  about  the  year  1170,  and  derivins;  their 
name  from  the  celebrated  Peter  Waldo.  The  evidence  is 
now  ample,  that  so  far  from  being  a  new  sect  at  that 
period,  they  had  existed  under  various  names,  as  a  dis- 
tinct class  of  dissenters  from  the  established  churches  of 
Greece  and  Rome  in  the  earliest  ages.  It  is  an  egregious 
error  to  suppose  that  when  Christianity  was  taken  into 
alliance  with  the  state,  by  the  Emperor  Constantine,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century,  all  the  orthodox 
churches  were  so  ignorant  of  the  genius  of  their  religion  as 
to  consent  to  the  corruption  of  a  worldly  establishment.'^ 
This  author  traces  the  Waklenses  back  through  the  No- 
vatians to  the  apostolic  age,  or  "earliest  ages.'^  This 
takes  our  history  back  prior  to  the  time  of  the  adulterous 
union  of  church  and  state  by  Constantine;  and  shows 
clearly  that  the  Waldenses  were  in  existence  under  vari- 
ous names  up  to  the  times  of  the  apostles. 

Crantz,  in  his  history,  dates  the  origin  of  the  Waldenses 
in  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century,  at  which  time  some 
of  the  Novatians  settled  in  the  valleys.  Again,  it  is  said 
by  Mr.  Brown,  the  editor  of  the  Encyclopedia,  that :  "  The 
Cathari,  or  Puritan  churches  of  the  No- 
Rdigious  Encyc.,    ^.^.:^^^^^^    ^^^^    ^^^^    ^^   that  very    period, 

(about  A.  D.  325)  been  flourishing  as  a 
distinct  communion  for  more  than  seventy  years  all  over 
the  empire;  maintaining,  by  the  acknowledgment  even  of 


'Origin  of  the    V/aldenses.  145 

their  enemies^  the  self-styled  Catholics,  the  inlegrity  of 
the  true  faith,  together  with  the  purity  of  discipline  and 
the  power  of  godliness  which  had  generally  disappeared 
from  the  Catholic  churches.  These  Puritans  being  ex- 
posed to  severe  and  sanguinary  persecutions  for  dissent, 
from  age  to  age,  were  compelled  to  shelter  themselves  from 
the  desolating  storm  in  retirement ;  and  when,  at  intervals, 
fcliey  re-appear  on  the  page  of  cotemporary  history,  and 
their  principles  are  propagated  wdth  new  boldness  and 
success,  they  are  styled  a  new  sect,  and  receive  a  new 
name,  though,  in  reality,  they  are  the  same  people."  This 
shows  that  the  same  people  called  Novatians  in  Rome  and 
Italy,  were  called  Waldenses  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont ; 
and  also  by  a  variety  of  other  names  in  different  ages  and 
countries.  Saccho,  the  inquisitor,  admits  that  the  Wal- 
denses flourished  five  hundred  years  before  the  time  of 
Waldo.  The  Waldenses  themselves  claim  that:  "Their 
doctrine  and  discipline  had  been  preserved 
in  all  its  purity  and  efficacy  from  the  days  Vfls"^  ^^<^(^-> 
of  the  primitive  martyrs,  in  Spain,  France, 
Germany,  Italy,  and  especially  in  the  valleys  of  Pied- 
mont." Here  the  suffering  Waldenses  claim  an  existence 
from  the  time  of  the  "primitive  martyrs,"  or  the  apostolic 
dge. 

In  fact,  the  historic  connection  between  the  Waldenses 
jind  the  Novatians,  their  ancestors,  is  so  strongly  devel- 
oped that  we  can  trace  the  emigration  of  a  whole  Xovatian 
church  from  Milan  into  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  where 
they  were  afterward  called  Waldenses.  It  is  stated  in  the 
Encyclopedia,  that :  "  The  learned  Dr.  Allix,  in  his  ^  His- 
tory of  the  Churches  of  Piedmont,'  gives  EeHgious  Encyc. 
iiis   account:   'That,  for  three   hundred    p.  114S. 


14G  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

years  or  niore.  the  Bishop  of  Rome  attempted  to  subjugate 
tlie  Church  of  Milan  under  his  jurisdiction;  and  at  last 
the  interest  of  Rome  grew  too  potent  for  the  Church  of 
Milan,  planted  by  one  of  the  disciples ;  insomuch  that  the 
bishop  and  people,  rather  than  own  their  jurisdiction, 
retired  to  the  valleys  of  Lucerne  and  Angrogna,  and  thence 
were  called  Vallences,  WaUenseSj  or  the  2')eoplG  of  the  val- 
leys.'' "  Thus,  as  it  was  in  the  planting  of  the  early 
churches  in  America,  so  with  those  of  the  valleys  of  Pied- 
mont— a  whole  church  emigrated  together,  bearing  those 
eternal  principles  which  lighted  up  the  Alpine  valleys  for 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years.  Edwards  contends  that 
the  Waldenses  were  the  true  Church  which  fled  into  the 
wilderness  from  the  face  of  the  Apocalyptical  Dragon,  as 
described  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Revelations.  We  have 
the  most  overwhelming  proof  that  the  ancient  Waldenses 
descended  from  the  Novatian  churches  which  bore  testi- 
mony against  the  corruptions  of  the  so-called  Catholic 
party  in  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  centuries. 

It  has  been  erroneously  supposed  that  Claudius  of  Turin 
was  the  founder  of  the  Waldensean  churches.  On  this 
point,  the  ^^ American  Sunday  School  Union"  remarks: 

"Although  we  have  stated,  in  the  former 
Z'!*^   ^  ^l^  '    '    chapter,  that  Claudius  of  Turin  has  been 

styled  the  founder  of  the  Waldensean 
churches,  their  origin  is  to  be  traced  to  a  period  still  more 
remote.  Leger  begins  his  history  of  the  Churches  of  the 
Vaudois  by  a  declaration  that,  ^they  never  required  any 
reformation.^  For  the  first  four  or  five  centuries,  the 
whole  of  what  is  termed  the  diocese  of  the  north  of  Italy, 
of  which  the  Waldenses  formed  a  part,  remained  com- 
paratively pure.'^     Yes;  it  is  a  historic  fact  that  the  an- 


Origin  of  the  Waldenses.  147 

cient  Waldenses  were  not  reformers,  in  the  modern  accept- 
ation of  that  term.  We  all  need  to  reform  and  amend  onr 
lives,  as  individuals ;  but  Jesus  Christ  did  not  establish 
his  Church  on  such  a  sandy  foundation  as  to  need  the  aid 
of  human  wisdom  to  reform  it.  The  Waldenses,  instead 
of  claiming  to  be  a  reformation  from  Popery,  claim  to  be 
the  bride  of  Christ,  which  fled  into  the  wilderness  from 
the  face  of  the  dragon.  Mr.  Eobinson,  the  historian, 
says :  "  Let  it  not  seem  romantic  if  we 
suppose   that   [the]    Waldenses,  who,  we  "  "       *' 

know,  studied  the  Revelation  of  John, 
thought  themselves  directed  to  retire  by  God  himself  to 
sequestered  places ;  for,  by  the  New  Testament  prophet, 
he  had  said :  ^The  woman  fled  into  the  wilderness,  where 
she  hath  a  place  prepared  of  God,  that  they  should  feed 
her  there  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  three-score  days.'  '^ 
If  the  Waldenses  had  sprung  either  from  Waldo  or  the 
Catholics,  they  mu^t  have  known  it.  But  they  boldly 
claim  to  be  more  ancient  than  the  Catholics — the  descend- 
ants of  the  apostolic  churches.  And  this  is  claimed  for 
them  by  Monastier,  the  historian.  He  claims  that :  "  The 
Vaudois  Church  is  a  link  that  unites 

,1  r^-i  T     1      I,        1      n    X      xi        Monastier^ s  His. 

them    [the  evangelical  churches]   to   the     y     ,  ^,         ^ 

primitive  church.     By  means  of  it,  they 
establish  the  anterior  existence  of  their  constitution,  doc- 
trine, and  worship,  to  that  of  the  papistical  idolatries  and 
errors.'^ 

Dr.  Alexis  Muston  bears  testimony,  as  follows :  "  Thf 

Vaud(^is  (Waldenses)  of  the  Alps  are,  in 

•     •,.       r^\    •  ,'  •    1      -J.       The  Israel  of  the 

our  view,  primitive  Christians,  or  inherit-      , ,  ^   -' 

...  Alps,  p.  1. 

ors  of  the  primitive  church,  who  have  been 

preserved  in  these  valleys  from  the  alterations  successively 


148  The  Arxlent  IVaUenses. 

introduced  by  the  Church  of  Rome  into  the  evangelical 
worship.  It  is  not  they  who  separated  from  Catholicism ; 
but  Catholicism  which  separated  from  them,  in  modifying 
the  primitive  worship." 

And  Mr.  Jones  says  that :  ''  Reinerius  Saccho,  an  in- 
quisitor, and  one  of  their  most  implacable 

Jones    Ch.    Jdis.,  •  i       t       i        i       •    i  j.  ri. 

2„^  '    enemies,  who  iived  only  eighty  years  alter 

Waldo,  admits  that  the  Waldenses  flour- 
ished five  hundred  years  before  that  preacher." 

It  is  customary  for  modern  writers  to  call  the  Wal- 
denses  Protestants,  which  is  a  misnomer.  The  term  Pro- 
testants was  applied  to  the  refoi-mers  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  who  protested  against  the  corruptions  of  Rome, 
and  forsook  her  communion.  It  is,  therefore,  wrong  to 
give  the  name  Protestants  to  those  who  were  never  con- 
nected in  any  way  with  the  Catholic  Church.     On  this 

subject.  Dr.  Symmons  remarks :   ^^  I  call 

0--  '  *'  them,  as  they  are  called  in  these  official 
p.  3iO,  note.  .       ^  -^ 

dispatches,  by  the  generally-known  name 
of  Protestants ;  but  the  dissenters  from  the  Papal  Church, 
who  occupied  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  had  neither  con- 
nection nor  a  common  origin  with  those  who  were  properly 
called  Protestants  from  one  of  the  first  acts  of  their  asso- 
ciation in  Germany.  The  lYaldenses  asserted  a  much 
more  ancient  p'^digree,  and  assumed  to  be  of  the  old 
Roman  Church  before  it  was  corrupted  by  the  papa] 
innovations." 

Again ;  the  apostolic  origin  of  the  Waldenses  is  dis- 
tinctly stated,  as  maintained  by  themselves,  by  Com- 
menius,  who  published  the  Discipline  of  the  Churches  of 
Bohemia  in  1644.  In  the  year  1457,  a  company  of  the 
Bohemian  Hussites  separated  themselves  from  the  Calix- 


Origin  of  the   Waldenses.  149 

tines ;  and  in  order  to  procure  a  regular  ministry  they 
sent  three  of  their  pastors  to  the  regular  Waldenses  tcj 
obtain  ordination.  And  they  received  instruction  and 
ordination  from  Stephen,  a  Waldensean  pastor,  assisted  by 
other  ministers. 

In  his  report  of  this  affair,  Comraenius  says  :  "  Where- 
upon all  those  who  were  yet  left  of  Huss^ 

followers,  beino-   inflamed  with  a  divine     „/";^    ^     'oJf 
^  ^  ;  Piedmont,  p.  364. 

zeal,  took  courage,  and  separating  them- 
selves from  the  Calixtines,  or  pretended  Hussites,  in  the 
year  1457,  they  happily  set  up  distinct  meetings  in  several 
places,  supported  only  by  the  Divine  assistance,  as  also  a 
distinct  consistory ;  for,  a  little  before  those  times,  some 
part  of  the  Waldenses  being  driven  out  of  France,  came 
and  settled  themselves  in  the  confines  of  Austria,  with 
one  or  two  of  their  Bishojjs,  to  whom  these  Bohemians 
sent  deputies,  who  declared  to  them  their  intention ;  de- 
siring their  counsel,  and  a  Christian  union  with  them : 
the  Waldenses,  on  the  other  hand,  commending  their  pur- 
pose, advised  them,  that  if  they  desired  to  have  those  as- 
semblies that  embraced  the  pure  doctrine  of  the  Gospel  to 
be  preserved  from  being  dissipated,  they  ought  to  take 
care  never  to  want  faithful  pastors.  Wherefore  that  they 
ought  not  to  expect  ^  til  some  who  had  their  ordination 
from  Kome  should,  by  their  love  to  truth,  be  brought 
over  to  them,  who  might  ordain  pastors  for  them,  but 
rather  ordain  them  themselves,  as  occasion  should  offer. 
And  forasmuch  as  the  said  Waldenses  declared  that  they 
had  lawful  Bishops  among  them,  and  a  lawful  and  uniri^ 
terrupted  succession  from  the  apostles  themselves,  they  very 
solemnly  created  three  of  our  ministers  bishops,  conferring 
upon  them  the  power  of  ordaining  ministers,  though  they 


150  Tlie  J.nc:ent   Waldeizses. 

did  not  think  fit  to  take  upon  them  the  name  of  bishops, 
beeause  of  the  anti-christian  abuse  of  that  name,  contenting 
themselves  with  the  name  of  elder s^ 

Thus  we  see    that  the  ancient  AYaldenses  claimed  a 

LAWFUL   AND  UXINTEREUPTED   SUCCESSION  FROM   THE 

APOSTLES  THEMSELVES.  How  Contemptible  the  sectarian 
hate  that  would  originate  the  Waldenses  with  Rome !  and 
thereby  accuse  them  of  falsehood  in  claiming  an  apostolic 
origin. 

In  answer  to  the  charge  of  some,  that  they  originated 
with  Peter  Waldo,  Dr.  Allix  remarks  :    ^'  Wherefore  that 
I  may,  once  for  all,  clear  this  matter,  I 


AlUx's    Clis.    of 


Piedmont,  p.  19 


^    say,  first,  that  it  is  absolutely  false,  that 


these  churches  were  ever  founded  by  Pe- 
ter Waldo.  Let  them  show  us  any  author  of  that  time 
who  asserts  that  Peter  Waldo  ever  preached  in  the  dio- 
cese of  Italy,  or  that  he  founded  any  church  there.  Let 
them  produce  any  sure  tradition  of  that  people  referring 
the  original  of  their  churches  to  Peter  Waldo.  Those 
who  wrote  at  that  time  do  not  tell  us  anything  like  this, 
no  more  than  they  who  lived  after.  W^herefore  we  must 
needs  conclude  it  a  pure  forgery  to  look  upon  Waldo  as 
the  person  who  first  brought  the  Reformation  into  Italy 
we  now  find  there.  I  own,  indeed,  that  Peter  Waldo's 
taking  care  to  have  the  Holy  Scriptures  translated  into  the 
vulgar  tongue,  the  churches  of  Italy  reaped  much  benefit 
from  that  version,  whereof  we  have  to  this  day  some  old 
copies  in  the  library  of  the  University  of  Cambridge.  But 
this  does  not,  in  the  least,  infer  that  Waldo  ought  to  be 
considered  as  the  founder  of  them.  I  say,  further,  that 
by  the  acknowledgment  of  the  enemies  themselves  of  the 
Waldenses,  it  is  absolutely  false  that  these  churches  are  of 


Origin  of  the   Waldenses.  151 

no  older  standing  than  Peter  Waldo.    For  this  we  have  the 

confession  of  Reinerius,  an  inquisitor,  ^Yho  lived  before  the 

middle  of  the  thirteenth  century.      He  ingenuously  ac- 

knowledgeth  '  that  the  heresy  he  calls  Vaudois,  or  poor 

people  nf  Lyons,  was  of  great  antiquity.    Among  all  sects/ 

sayeth  he  (chap.  4),  '  that  either  are,  or  have  been,  there 

is  none  more  dangerous  to  the  Church  than  that  of  the 

Leonists,  and  that  for  three  reasons :  The  first  is,  because 

it  is  the  sect  that  is  of  the  longest  standing  of  any ;  for 

some  say  it  hath  been  continued  down  ever  since  the  time  of 

Pope  Sylvester,  and  others,  ever  since  that  of  the  apostles. 

The  second  is,  because  it  is  the  most  general  of  all  sects ; 

for  scarcely  is  there  any  country  to  be  found  where  this 

sect  hath  not  spread  itself.'  '^ 

Once  more,  the  Waldensean  claim  to  apostolic  origin  is 

found  in  the  preface  of  their' translation  of  the  Bible,  as 

given  by  D'Anvers,  as  follows :  "  In  the 

preface  to  the  French  Bible,  and  the  first  ,.  *^^^^^^^^  ^P' 
}  .  '  twn,  p.  341. 

'that  ever  was  printed,  they  say  that  they 

have  always  had  the  full  enjoyment  of  that  heavenly  truth 
contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  ever  since  they  were  en- 
riched with  the  same  by  the  apostles  themselves,  having, 
in  fair  manuscripts,  preserved  the  entire  Bible  in  their 
native  tongue,  from  generation  to  generation.  —  Mori. 
Hist,  p.  14.^' 

In  this  Waldensean  record  we  have  two  very  important 
historic  facts  stated :  first,  that  the  Waldenses  claimed  a 
regular  succession  from  the  apostles ;  and  second,  that 
they  preserved  the  entire  Bible,  in  manuscripts,  all  the  time 
from  the  apostolic  age.  What  now  becomes  of  the  pre- 
sumptuous claim  of  Komanists,  that  if  it  had  not  been  for 
tliem  the  Bible  would  have  been  lost? 


152  The  Ancient   Waldenses. 

Starting  in  America,  in  the  year  1870,  we  have  followed 
the  chain  of  Baptist  history  back  through  the  persecu- 
tions endured  by  them  in  Virginia  and  Massachusetts,  to 
the  planting  of  the  American  colonies;  and  from  the 
shores  of  America  we  have  traced  the  same  chain  unbro- 
ken, across  the  waves  of  the  mighty  Atlantic,  to  England 
and  Wales,  where  our  fathers  bore  noble  testimony  to  Bap- 
tist principles  under  the  bloody  reigns  of  the  British  mon- 
archs  who  swayed  the  scepters  of  both  church  and  state ; 
and  from  thence  we  have  followed  the  same  chain  of  suc- 
cession to  Holland,  where  Richard  Blunt  received  baptism 
from  the  pastor  of  a  church  whose  descent  was  from  the 
ancient  Waldenses ;  and  still  following  up  this  succession, 
from  the  Netherlands  back  into  Germany,  beyond  the 
dawn  of  the  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  century,  where 
the  ancient  Waldensean  Baptists  were  found  all  alone 
battling,  with  Spartan  valor,  against  the  over-mastering 
tide  of  Popish  usurpations ;  and,  still  ascending  the  same 
historic  stream,  we  reach  the  poetic  valleys  of  Piedmont, 
where  the  altar-fires  of  our  holy  religion  burned  with  un- 
dimmed  luster  during  the  dreary  period  of  twelve  hun- 
dred and  sixty  prophetic  days. 

Surrounded  by  these  mountain  bulwarks,  these  faithful 
witnesses  of  Jesus  raised  their  songs  of  high-sounding 
praises  to  their  Redeemer,  and  preached  in  rustic  strains 
that  same  glad-tiding  which  was  announced  by  the  angels 
to  the  affrighted  shepherds  of  Bethlehem's  plains.  And 
from  these  soul-enrapturing  scenes  in  the  Alpine  valleys, 
we  have  still  ascended  within  the  very  shadow  of  the 
apostolic  age,  back  to  the  classic  ground  of  Roman  elo- 
quence where  the  Novatians  raised  the  standard  of  pro- 
test and  bore  aloft  the  banner  of  Jesus  Christ  against  the 


Origin  of  the   Waldcnses.  153 

usurpations  of  the  rising  Papacy.  Here  we  behold  the 
stern  and  unyielding  Novatians^  who  are  the  real  ances- 
tors of  the  Baptists,  clothed  in  the  heavenly  armor  and 
battling  against  the  heathen  world  long  before  the  haughty 
pontiff  of  Rome  had  usurped  the  seat  and  authority  of 
Almighty  God,  and  hurled  his  thundering  anathemas 
from  the  seven-hilled  city  against  the  trembling  nations 
of  earth.  Here,  I  say,  we  find  ourselves  connected,  by 
the  chain  of  historic  succession,  to  the  ancient  Novatians 
who  boldly  resisted  the  advances  of  Antichrist  toward 
the  dominion  of  the  world. 

But  shall  we  stop  here,  without  learning  the  origin  of 
the  Baptists?  No;  let  us  penetrate  into  the  still  more 
'^remote  depths  of  antiquity,'^  until  we  shall  reach  the 
fountain-head  of  this  healing  stream,  which  has  watered 
the  earth  for  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years. 

But  wdiere  did  the  Novatians  originate?  The  answer 
is  found  in  the  next  chapter. 


lo4  The  J\lova:iai:s. 


CHAPTER    YII. 

THE   NOVATIANS. 

1.  The  Churches  called  "Novatiax  Churches"  did   noi 

Originate  with  Novatian. 
"l  The  Origix  of  the  Novatiaks. 

Sectiox    I. — The    churches    called    "  xoyatian 

CHURCHES  ^^  DID  NOT  ORIGINATE  WITH    XOVATIAX^ 

"Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means:  for  that  clay 

sliall  not  come,  exceut  there  come  a  fallino; 
2  Thess.  2:3.  ^  '  ^  ,.     .      , 

away  iirst,  and  that     man      oi  sm  be  re- 
vealed, the  son  of  perdition." 

The  mystery  of  iniquity  had  begun  his  work  of  death 
even  in  the  time  of  Paul's  ministry.  Corruptions  were 
introduced  into  the  early  churches  at  a  very  early  period. 
This  was  in  fulfillment  of  predictions  of  Christ  and  the 
apostles,  that  false  prophets  should  arise  and  deceive 
many,  and,  if  possible,  deceive  the  very  elect.  And  that 
grievous  wolves  will  appear  among  the  flock,  or  Church  of 
Christ,  and  that  even  church  members  would  arise  speak- 
ing perverse  things  to  draw  disciples  after  them.  Histo- 
rians and  theologians  have  been  accustomed  to  appeal  to 
the  practice  of  the  Christians  of  the  second  and  third  cen- 
turies, as  of  almost  equal  authority  with  the  word  of  God 
itself.  This  is  the  fatal  mistake  which  has  aided  to  inun- 
date the  world  with  Catholic  superstitions.  Concerning  the 
records  of  the  ancient  church,  the  learned  Isaac  Taylor 
says  :  "  If  at  any  time,  or  if  in  any  particular  instance,  the 


J^ovatian  not  the  Founder  of  the  J\lovatia:is.  155 

authority  of  the  ancient  church  is  to  be 

,  ,,  T  1         1     .1  1        Tcailor's  Ancient 

urged  upon  the  modern  church,  then  surely    ^,,  , .         . _ 

there  is  a  pertinence  in  turning  to  the 
apostolic  prophesies  of  perversions,  corruptions,  apostacies, 
quickly  to  spring  within  the  sacred  inclosure  itself,  which 
meet  us  at  the  threshold,  and  seem  to  bring  us  under  a 
most  solemn  obligation  to  look  to  it,  lest,  amid  the  fervors 
of  an  indiscriminate  reverence,  we  seize  for  imitation  the 
very  things  which  the  apostles  foresaw  and  forewarned 
the  church  of  as  fatal  errors.'''  This  timely  warning  of 
this  eminent  author  points  out  to  us  the  danger-  of  em- 
bracing errors  because  of  their  antiquity.  While  the 
flood  of  corruptions  was  pouring  upon  the  ancient  churches, 
and  many  were  being  overwhelmed  by  it,  God  had  faith- 
ful witnesses  all  the  time  to  withstand  this  tide  of  error, 
and  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  delivered  to  the 
saints.  And  prominently  among  these  witnesses  the  No- 
vatians  appear,  bearing  their  unflinching  testimon}^  for 
Christ.  As  to  Novatian  himself,  he  is  so  fearfully  mis- 
represented by  his  enemies  that  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to 
give  a  correct  account  of  him.  He  was  a  presbyter,  or 
elder,  in  the  church  at  Rome  before  the  rise  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Cornelius,  the  rival  and  implacable 
enemy  of  Novatian,  was  elected  bishop,  or  pastor,  of  the 
church  at  Rome  in  the  year  two  hundred  and  fifty-one. 
He  represents  Novatian  as  having  been  "  baptized  in  his 
sick  bed,  by  aspersion.''  However  this  may  be,  it  does 
•not  affect  the  standing  of  the  Novatian  churches,  for  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  Novatians  did  not  receive  their  orio;in 
or  baptism  from  Novatian.  All  candid  historians  admit 
that  Novatian  was  grossly  misrepresented  by  Cornelius. 
Novatian  was  a  man  eminent  for  stern  piety,  learning  and 


156  The  Uovatians. 


eloquence.  Dupln^  tlie  Catholic  historian,  says  of  him : 
7  7T7  1  "  -'-^^^^  author  has  abundance  of  wit,  knowl- 
*  edge  and  eloquence ;  his  style  is  pure,  clean, 

and  polite ;  his  expressions  choice,  his  thoughts  natural, 
and  his  way  of  reasoning  just:  he  is  full  of  citations  of 
texts  of  Scripture  that  are  always  to  the  purpose:  and  be- 
sides, there  is  a  great  deal  of  order  and  method  in  those 
treatises  of  his  we  now  have ;  and  he  never  speaks  but 
with  a  world  of  candor  and  moderation."  Robinson,  the 
historian,  says:  "The  history  of  Novatian  is  long,  and, 
like  that  of  all  others  in  his  condition, 
'  '  "  *  beclouded  with  fables  and  slander.  The 
character  of  the  man  ought  no  more  to  be  taken  from 
Cyprian  than  his  ought  from  the  Pagans,  who,  by  pun- 
ning on  his  name,  called  him  Coprian,  or  the  Scavenger. 
The  case,  in  brief,  was  this  :  Novatian  was  an  elder  in 
the  church  at  Rome.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive  learn- 
ing, and  held  the  same  doctrine  as  the  church  did,  and 
published  several  treatises  in  defense  of  what  he  believed. 
His  address  was  eloquent  and  insinuating,  and  his  morals 
were  irreproachable.  He  saw,  with  extreme  pain,  the  in- 
tolerable depravity  of  the  church.  Christians,  within  the 
space  of  a  very  few  years,  were  caressed  by  one  emperor, 
and  persecuted  by  another.  In  seasons  of  prosperity,  many 
rushed  into  the  church  for  base  purposes.  In  times  of  ad- 
versity they  denied  the  faith  and  ran  back  to  idolatry 
again.  When  the  squall  was  over,  away  they  came  again 
to  the  church,  with  all  their  vices,  to  deprave  others  by 
their  example.  The  bishops,  fond  of  proselytes,  encour- 
aged all  this,  and  transferred  the  attention  of  Christians 
from  the  old  confederacy  for  virtue,  to  vain  shows  at 
Easter,  and  a  thousand  other  Jewish  ceremonies,  adulter- 


j^ovatian  not  the  Founder  of  the  js  cvatians.  157 

ated,  too,  witli  paganism.  On  the  cleatli  of  Bishop  Fa- 
bian, Cornelius,  a  brother  elder,  and  a  vehement  partisan 
for  taking  in  the  multitude,  was  put  in  nomination.  No- 
vatian  opposed  him ;  but  as  Cornelius  carried  his  election, 
and  he  saw  no  prospect  of  reformation,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, a  tide  of  immorality  pouring  into  the  church,  he 
withdrew,  and  a  great  many  with  him.  Cornelius,  irri- 
tated by  Cyprian,  who  was  just  in  the  same  condition, 
through  the  remonstrances  of  virtuous  men  at  Carthage, 
and  who  was  exasperated  beyond  measure  with  one  of  his 
elders  named  Novatus,  who  had  quitted  Carthage  and 
had  gone  to  Eome  to  espouse  the  cause  of  Novatian,  called 
a  council,  and  got  a  sentence  of  excommunication  passed 
against  Novatian.  In  the  end,  Novatian  formed  a  church 
and  was  elected  bishop.  Great  ifumbers  followed  his  ex- 
ample, and  all  over  the  empire  Puritan  churches  were  con- 
stituted, and  flourished  through  the  succeeding  two  hun- 
dred years.  Afterward,  when  penal  laws  obliged  them  to 
lurk  in  corners,  and  worship  God  in  private,  they  were 
distinguished  by  a  variety  of  names,  and  a  succession  of 
them  continued  till  the  Eeformation." 

Thus  we  see  that  Noratian  made  a  noble  stand  against 
the  growing  corruptions  in  the  church  at  Rome,  which 
resulted  in  the  division  of  the  church  and  the  formation 
of  another,  over  which  Novatian  was  elected  pastor.  It  ia 
not  known  that  Novatian  aided  in  the  formation  of  any 
other  church  than  this.  He  only  organized,  and  was  pas- 
tor of  a  church  at  Rome.  Laxity  of  discipline,  especially 
the  reception  of  those  who  had  lapsed  into  idolatry,  had 
greatly  disturbed  the  churches  in  the  cities.  And  when 
Novatian  made  his  stand  for  virtue  and  church  dis- 
cipline, ^'  great  numbers  Jollowed  his  ea:ample,and  all  over 


158  Thd  Uovatians. 


the  empire  Puritan  churches  were  constituted,^^  So  we  dis- 
cover that  Novatian  had  nothing  more  to  do  with  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Novatian  churches  throughout  the  em- 
pire than  the  force  of  example.  And,  as  in  all  such  cases, 
no  doubt,  when  the  line  of  separation  was  drawn,  some 
churches  sided  with  the  popular  party,  while  others  were 
numbered  with  those  called  Novatian.  And,  as  to  the 
case  of  Novatian  himself,  his  lack  of  baptism,  if  the  charge 
be  correct,  would  no  more  affect  the  succession  of  the  No- 
vatians  than  the  lack  of  baptism  upon  the  part  of  a  few 
"Baptist^'  ministers  who  have  received  ^^ alien  immer- 
sion." 

Again,  Mr.  Robinson  says:  "They  say  Novatian  was 
the  first  anti-pope ;  and  yet  there  was,  at 
„  .  ^-  that  tune,  no  pope  m  the  modern  sense  of 

the  word.  They  call  Novatian  the  author 
of  the  heresy  of  Puritanism ;  yet  they  know  Tertullian 
had  quitted  the  church  near  fifty  years  before  for  the  same 
reason,  and  Privatus,  who  was  an  old  man  in  the  time  of 
Novatian,  had,  with  several  more,  repeatedly  remonstrated 
against  the  alterations  taking  place,  and,  as  they  could 
get  no  redress,  had  dissented  and  formed  separate  congre- 
gations. They  tax  Novatian  with  being  the  parent  of  an 
innumerable  multitude  of  congregations  of  Puritans  all 
over  the  empire;  and  yet  he  had  no  other  influence  over 
any,  than  what  his  good  example  gave  him.  People  saw 
every-where  the  same  cause  of  complaint,  and  groaned  for 
relief,  and  when  one  man  made  a  stand  for  virtue,  the 
crisis  had  arrived — people  saw  the  propriety  of  the  cure, 
and  applied  the  same  means  to  their  own  relief.'^ 

Thus  it  is  clearly  made  out  that  Novatian  was  not  the 
founder  of  the  churches  called  by  hi§  name. 


Origin  of  the  JVovatians.  159 


Section  II. — Oeigin  of  the  novatians. 

We  have  already  shown,  upon  good  authority,  that  the 
Waldenses  were  descended  from  the  Novatians,  and  ob- 
served the  same  faith  and  practice ;  or,  in  other  words, 
the  same  class  of  Christians  who  were  called  Novatians 
in  Italy,  were  called  Waldenses  in  the  valleys  of  the  Alps. 

As  the  modern  denominations  lay  no  claim  to  any  his- 
toric connection  with  the  Novatians,  it  will  not  require 
much  labor  to  show  their  Baptist  character  and  connec- 
tion with  the  apostolic  churches. 

The  Xovatian  period  extends  from  about  the  middle  of 
the  third  century  to  the  middle  of  the  fifth  —  about  two 
hundred  years. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  the  Novatians  began 
and  ended  with  these  periods;  but  that  the  witnesses  for 
Christ,  in  the  Roman  empire,  were  called  Novatians 
during  the  period  named.  They  did  not  call  themselves 
Novatians  at  the  first,  but  this  name  was  given  by  their 
enemies  as  a  term  of  reproach. 

What  is  termed  by  historians  the  Novatian  rupture,  did 
not  take  place  on  account  of  a  difference  in  doctrine,  so 
far  as  the  church  ordinances  were  concerned,  but  on  ac- 
count of  the  growing  corruptions  in  some  of  the  churcheSj 
in  consequence  of  the  lax  discipline  in  the  reception  of 
apostates. 

When  historians  use  the  term  Catholic  Church  with 
reference  to  these  times  —  about  the  third  century  —  they 
have  no  allusion  to  what  is  now  called  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church ;  for  at  that  time  no  such  church  existed.  But 
in  the  use  of  the  term  Catholic,  they  only  intended  to  re- 
fer to  the  church   in   general.     And  it  was  this  party, 


160  Tjie  Movatians. 


which  chiiined  to  be  the  Catholic,  orthodox,  or  general 

church,  in  the  third  century,  that  in  after  times  grew  to 

be  the  Romish  Church. 

Concerning  the  cause  which  led  to  the  division  called 

the  Novatian  rupture,  Mr.  Orchard  remarks :   *^  When 

Decius  came  to  the  throne,  in  249,  he  re- 
Orch.    Ch.   His.,  •      i     i         j-  x        n  •      j.i 

IT       52  quired,  by  edicts,  all  persons  m  the  em- 

pire to  conform  to  Pagan  worship.  Forty 
years'  toleration  had  greatly  increased  professors,  and 
they  w^ere  found  in  every  department  of  the  govern- 
ment. They  had  been  so  long  unaccustomed  to  trials,  that 
the  lives  of  manv  were  unsuited  to  sufferins:.  Decius' 
edicts  rent  asunder  the  churches;  multitudes  apostatized, 
and  many  were  martyred.  In  two  years  the  trial  abated, 
w^hen  many  apostates  applied  for  restoration  to  Christian 
fellowship,  and  sanctioned  their  application  by  letters, 
w^ritten  by  some  eminent  Christians  who  had  been  mar- 
tyrs during  the  persecution.  The  flagrancy  of  some  apos- 
tates occasioned  an  opposition  to  their  re-admission.'' 

This  slack  discipline  has  been  the  curse  of  the  churches, 
more  or  less,  in  every  age.  No  church  can  prosper  which 
has  not  vital  action  sufficient  to  throw  off  the  corrupt  or 
foreign  matter.  For  some  time  before  the  "  Novatian  rup- 
ture "  there  had  been  a  growing  tendency  in  some  churches 
toward  ministerial  usurpation ;  and  the  leaven  of  the  mys- 
tery of  iniquity  was  at  work,  which  finally  produced  Anti- 
christ in  his  full  proportions.  The  time  for  the  "falling 
away,"  spoken  of  by  Paul,  had  now  fully  come.  For  it 
matters  not  which  party  is  in  the  majority  when  a  separa- 
tion occurs,  it  is  always  true  that  the  party  which  departs 
from  the  faith  \ms  fallen  away. 

It  is  generally  admitted  by  hietorians,  whether  Catholio 


Origin  of  the  Jsovatians.  161 

or  Protestant,  that  the  Catholic  party  departed  from  the 
simplicity  of  the  Gospel,  at  least  in  point  of  morals.  And 
it  appears  that,  previous  to  the  separation,  many  persons 
had  deplored  the  growing  corruptions  in  some  of  the 
churches;  and  they  hailed  with  delight  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity of  bearing  testimony  for  Christ  by  rejecting  from 
their  fellowship  those  individuals  and  churches  which  had 
departed  from  the  simplicity  of  the  faith. 

Gieseler,  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  gives  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  Xovatians :  "  The  Pres- 
byter Novatian,  at  Pome,  was  disaatisfied  C'r  -,"-0  ' '' 
with  the  choice  of  the  Bishop  Cornelius  (A. 
D.  251),  on  account  of  his  lenity  toward  the  Lapsi.  In  the 
controversy  which  now  ensued,  Novatian,  chiefly  supported 
by  the  Presbyter  Novatus,  of  Carthage,  returned  to  the  old 
principle,  that  those  who  had  once  fallen  from  the  faith 
could  in  no  case  be  received  again.  The  church  being 
divided  by  this  schism,  Novatian  was  chosen  bishop  by 
the  one  party  in  opposition  to  Cornelius.  Though  the 
other  bishops,  and  especially  Cyprian  at  Carthage,  and 
Dionysius  at  Alexandria,  were  on  the  side  of  Cornelius, 
great  numbers  in  all  parts  joined  the  stricter  party.'' 

This  very  important  testimony  from  Gieseler,  the  learned 
German  historian,  shows  that,  after  the  division  of  the 
church  at  Rome,  Novatian  was  chosen  pastor  or  bishop 
of. the  stricter  party;  and  wdien  the  division  extended 
throughout  the  empire,  ^^  great  numbers  in  all  parts  joined 
the  stricter  party. ^^  And  this  establishes  the  fact  that  these 
great  numbers  in  all  parts  did  not  originate  with  Novatian. 
But  their  origin  is  with  the  apostolic  churches.  And  even 
the  church  in  Rome,  over  Avhich  Novatian  was  pastor,  did 
not  receive  its  baptism  nor  origin  from  him.     But  this 


102  The  JJovatians. 


church  derived  its  origin  from  the  original  apostolic 
church  at  Rome  to  whom  Paul  addressed  his  letter  to  the 
Romans.  In  fact,  the  Kovatian  party  were  that  part  of 
the  original  church  at  Rome,  founded  ])y  tiie  apostles, 
which  preserved  the  purity  of  discipline  and  worship 
against  the  growing  apostacy  which  sided  with  Cornelius. 
And  this  firm  stand  of  the  Xovatians  at  Rome  for  virtue, 
furnished  an  example  for  others.  Orchard  remarks  that : 
"  On  account  of  the  church's  severity  of 
^?  T   ^  --    ^*'    discipline,  the  example  was  followed  by 

vrA.  7,   p.  oo.  ^  '  ^        .  •' 

many,  and  churches  of  this  order  flourished 
in  the  greatest  part  of  those  provinces  which  had  received 
the  Gospel. '^ 

Therefore,  instead  of  Xovatian  being  the  founder  of  this 
class  of  Christians,  he  only  bore  testimony,  with  others,  in 
iavor  of  the  purity  of  discipline  which  had  been  preserved 
from  the  time  of  the  apostles. 

To  show  that  Xovatian  did  not  act  alone  in  his  early 
stand  for  virtue  and  truth,  vre  here  insert  a  statement  from 
Neander,  as  follows : 

"As  his  principles  are  so  clearly  to  be  explained  from 

the  sternness  of  his  Christian  character, 
Neand.  His.  Chr.  i        i  -  •         •      n  •     •     j. 

R1  ii-Ch      14?     ^       ^^        ^^'^'"^  actmg,  m  this  instance,  m 

the  spirit  of  a  whole  party  of  the  church 
existing  at  that  time,  there  is  the  less  need  to  resort  to  an 
explanation,  deduced  from  an  external  cause,  which  is 
supported  by  no  historical  proof.'' 

This  statement  of  Neander  was  made  in  refutation  of  the 
charge  that  Novatian  received  his  principles  from  the  Stoic 
philosophy.  And  it  shows  that,  instead  of  his  being  the 
originator  of  these  principles,  he  only  acted  in  concert  with 


Or:gi:i  cf  the  Mov.ziianz.  103 

"a  whole  jjarty  of  the  church/^  which  existed  before  the 
^'  Xovatian  rupture/' 

And  it  is  evident  that  if  the  Xovatians  had  no  just  claims 
to  be  regarded  as  the  primitive  church,  they  would  not 
have  <lared,  in  the  face  of  such  powerful  and  bitter  ene- 
mies, to  claim  to  be  the  only  Church  of  Christ  on  earth. 
Upon  this  point,  Xeander  remarks  : 

"  The  controversy  with  the  party  of  Xovatian  turned 
upon  two  general  points  : 

1.  On  the  principles  of  penitence.  Xeand.  Ch.  Ms., 

2.  On  what  constitutes  the  idea  of  the    p.  145. 
essence  of  a  true  church. '^ 

In  regard  to  the  first  point,  w'hich  Xeander  calls  "  pen- 
itence'^ — owing  to  the  fearful  corruptions  which  resulted 
from  the  indiscriminate  reception  of  those  who  had  apos- 
tatized into  paganism  and  idolatry — the  Xovatians  refused 
to  restore  such  heinous  offenders  to  church  fellowship; 
but  they  did  not  deny  that  such  might  obtain  forgiveness 
from  God. 

And  in  regard  to  the  second  point  of  difference  between 
the  Xovatians  and  the  popular  party,  which  involved  the 
Church  question,  Xeander  has  the  following: 

"As  far  as  concerns  the  second  point  in  dispute,  the 

notion  of  the  church,  Xovatian  held  the 

r.  11       •  •    •  \     xu  1      ^         -4-       Keand.  Ch.  Ills.. 

lollowmg  opinion  :   xVs  the  mark  oi  purity        ^ ._  ' 

and  holiness  is  one  of  the  essential  marks 

of  a  true   church,   every   church  ^vhich,   neglecting   tlie 

right  use  of  church  discipline,  suffers  those  who  have 

violated  their  baptismal  vow  by  great  sins  to  remain  in 

the  midst  of  her,  or  to  receive  them  into  her  again,  ceases 

thereby  to  be  a  true   church,   and   loses  all  the  rights 

and  advantages    of  such   a   church.      The  Xovatianists, 


164  The  J<! ovjviLms. 


therefore,  as  they  claimed  to  be  the  only  unstained,  pure 
church,  called  themselves  oi  hatharoi, — ^the  pure/ ^' 

Since  it  is  allowed  on  all  hands  that  even  tlio  enemies 
of  the  Novatians  did  not  charge  them  with  impurity  in 
'.loctrine  or  discipline,  but  only  with  schism,  and  that  the 
Catholic  party  w^ere  C(  rrupt  in  discipline,  the  claim  of  the 
Novatians  ought,  therefore,  to  be  conceded  to  them,  that 
they  were  the  pure,  uncorrupted  apostolic  clirach. 

On  this  claim  the  editor  of  the  Religi<'iis  Encyclopedia 

remarks:  ^^ Xovatiaxs ;  a  numerous  bu.ly  of  Protestant 

dissenters  from  the  Ciiurch  of  Kome,  in 

Leagious  'nc>/c.,    ^^^  third  centurv,  Avho,  notwuthstandins; 

p.  8/ /.  . "  .     .    .  . 

the   representations  of  tlieir  adversaries, 

have  some  just  claims  to  be  regarded  as  the  pure,  uncor- 
rupted, and  apostolic  Church  of  Christ.  They  called 
themselves  Cathari — that  is,  the  rmrc ;  but  they  received 
their  name  of  Novatians  from  their  adversaries,  after  their 
distinguished  leader  Novatian,  who,  in  the  year  251,  was 
ordained  the  pastor  of  a  church  in  the  city  of  Rome,  which 
maintained  no  fellowship  Avith  the  (so-called)  Catholic 
party." 

This  distinguished  author  alTirms  that  the  Novatians 
have  ^[just  claims  to  be  regarded  as  the  pure,  uncorrupted 
and  apostolic  Church  of  Christ,'^  This  unites  the  Baptist 
history  to  the  apostolic  churches  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
first  century. 

After  a  thorough  examination  on  this  point.  Orchard , 

the  historian,  makes  the  following  statement  concerning 

the  Xovatians:  "The.  churches  thus  formed  upon  a  pba 

of  strict  communion  and  rigid  discipline, 

^otl^%T^^''    «^<^ained  the  reproach  of  Puritans  ;  they 

were  the  oldest  bod}^  of  Christian  churches 


Origin  of  the  JVovatians.  1()0 

of  which  wo  li:ivo  any  ncoonnt;  ami  a  succession  of  iJicmy 
■\vc  shall  prove,  has  continiuMl  to  the  jU'csont  day.  No- 
vatian's  example  had  a  powerful  iiiHiienee,  and  Puritan 
churches  rose  in  dill'erent  parts  in  (piick  succession.  So 
early  as  254,  these  dissenters  are  complained  oi' as  having 
infected  France  with  their  doctrines,  wliich  wiU  aid  us  in 
the  A.lbi!j:;ensean  churches,  where  the  same  severity  of  dis- 
cipline is  traced  and  i-eprobated.'^ 

Yes,  no  doubt,  the  JNovatians  were  descendants  of,  and 
formed  part  of,  the  oldest  body  of  Christian  churches, 
which  were  established  by  Christ,  and  the  a])()stles.  And 
Mr.  Cramp,  in  his  late  history,  lius  the  followiui;-:  *'  NVc 
may  safely  infer  that  they  abstained  from 

com])liance  with  the  innovation,  and  that     ^>^^^>'P^  J^'P  ^^ 

^  '  ///.s'.,  p.  59. 

tlie  Novatian  churches  were  what  are  now 

called  Bai)tist  churclies,  adhering   to   the   apostolic  and 

primitive  })raetice.'' 

Notwithstanding  all  the  false  and  bitter  charges  of  their    > 
enemies,  the  proof  is  positive,  that  the  Novatians,  in  every   / 
element  of  church  organization,  were  J>aptists,  and  dc-  ^ 
scended  from  the  primitive  apostolic  churches. 

It  should  be  observed  that  the  Donatists  in  Africa,  in 
the  fourth  century,  are  generally  admitted  to  be  the  same 
class  of  Christians  with  the  Novatians. 

When  the  division  oc(Mirred  at  Carthage,  similar  to  that 
at  Rome,  that  party  which  adhered  to  the  purity  of  church 
discipline  and  primitive  practice  in  the  administration  of 
the  ordinances,  were  called  Donatists. 

Cryspin,  the  French  historian,  affirms  that  they  hold 
together  in  the  following  things: 

^' First:  For  purity  of  church  mem-  D' Anvcrs on Bap» 
'  rjrs,  by  asserting  that  none  ought  to  be    tism,  p.  223. 


1G6  The  J\  ovaiians. 

adiiiittecl  into  churches  but  such  as  were  visibly  true 
believers  aud  real  saints. 

Secondly:  For  the  purity  of  church  discipline^  as  the 
application  of  church-censures,  and  keeping  out  such  as 
liad  apostatized  or  scandalously  sinned. 

Thirdly:  They  both  agreed  in  asserting  the  power, 
rights,  and  privileges  of  particular  churches,  against 
anti-Christian  encroachments  of  presbyters,  bishops,  and 
synods. 

Fourthly:  That  they  baptized  again  those  whose  first 
baptism  they  had  ground  to  doubt.^^ 

The  foregoing,  as  found  in  D'Anvers  on  Baptism,  ex- 
hibits the  fact  that  the  Donatists  were  but  the  Novatians 
of  Africa.  And  although  they  were  called  by  different 
names  on  different  continents,  yet  they  were  one  and  the 
same  class  of  Christians,  who  Avere  the  successors  of  the 
original  churches  that  withstood  the  mighty  flood  of  cor- 
ruptions which  beat  upon  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the 
third,  fourth,  and  fifth  centuries. 

And  that  the  Novatians  adhered  to  the  primitive  prin- 
ciples of  the  first  century,  is  admitted  by  Mr.  Vv^addington, 
in  his  History  of  the  Church.  In  speaking  of  the  Kova- 
tians,  whom  he  dignifies  with  the  title  "Sectaries,^'  he 
remarks :    "  And   those    rigid    principles 

'^„^'' ''^7  0/  ^ie  which  had  characterized  and  sanctified 
Church,  P-   '0. 

the  church  m  the  first  century  were  aban- 
doned to  the  profession  of  schismatic  sectaries  in  the 
third.^' 

This  very  important  statement  of  George  Waddington, 
the  learned  Episcopal  historian,  establishes  t^vo  import- 
ant points : 

1.  That  the  Xovatians,  called  Sectaries  by  their  ene- 


Origin  of  the  jNovaiiciiis.  167 

mies,  PRESERVED  THOSE  RIGID  PRIXCIPEES  WHICH  HAD 
CHARACTERIZED  AND  SANCTIFIED  THE  ChURCH  IN  THE 
FIRST  CENTURY.^^ 

2.  That  tlie  Catholic,  or  orthodox  party,  "abandoned  '^ 

THESE  PRINCIPLES  "TO  THE  PROFESSION  OF  SCHISMATIC 
SECTARIES  IN  THE  THIRD  '^  CENTURY. 

Therefore,  as  the  Catholics,  or  orthodox,  were  the  party 
which  abandoned  the  primitive  principles  of  Christianity, 
they  were  undoubtedly  the  party  that  fell  away  or  aposta- 
tized from  the  truth.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  as  the 
Novatians  were  the  party  which  maintained  the  primitive 
principles  of  Christianity,  they  must  be  regarded  as  the 
original  Church,  in  spite  of  the  pompous  pretentions  of 
the  so-called  Catholics. 

While  it  is  an  admitted  fact  that  the  term  Novatians, 
which  was  applied  to  the  early  witnesses  for  Christ,  was 
derived  from  Novatian,  yet  it  is  not  true  that  he  was 
their  founder,  or  that  the  church  of  which  he  was  pastor 
was  the  first  church  in  the  separation  from  the  popular 
religion.  There  were  other  churches  before  this,  inde- 
pendent of  the  so-called  orthodox,  which  l^ore  the  same 
testimony  for  original  principles. 

I  here  call  attention  to  a  statement  from  Robinson,  in- 
troduced in  the  former  section,  as  follows:  "They  say 
Novatian  was  the  first  anti-pope;  and  yet 
there  was,  at  that  time,  no  pope  in  the  ^^^•^^_^^^'^^-  ^^-» 
modern  sense  of  the  word.  They  call 
Novatian  the  author  of  the  heresy  of  Puritanism  ;  and  yet 
they  know  that  Tertullian  had  quitted  the  church  near 
fifty  years  before  for  the  same  reason ;  and  Privatus,  wlio 
was  an  old  man  in  the  time  of  Novatian,  had,  with  several 
more,  repeatedly  remonstrated  against  the  alterations  tal^- 


168  The  J\"ova'ians. 


ing  place,  and  as  they  could  get  no  redress,  had  dissented, 
and  formed  separate  congregations.  They  tax  Novatian 
^vitli  being  parent  of  an  innumerable  multitude  of  con- 
gregations of  Puritans  all  over  the  empire ;  and  yet  he 
had  no  other  influence  over  any  than  what  his  good  ex- 
ample gave  him.  People  saw  every-where  the  same  cause 
of  complaint,  and  groaned  for  relief;  and  when  one  man 
made  a  stand  for  virtue,  the  crisis  had  arrived  —  people 
saw  the  propriety  of  the  cure,  and  applied  the  same 
means  to  their  own  relief.^^ 

Thus  we  discover  that  even  before  the  time  of  Xova- 
tian,  there  existed  "  separate  congregations  '^  which  bore 
testimony  against  the  corruptions  of  the  popular  party. 
It  is  a  fact,  conceded  by  all  historians,  that  the  primitive 
churches,  with  few  exceptions,  down  to  the  time  of  Xova- 
tian,  preserved  the  church  ordinances  as  they  were  .origi- 
nally delivered  by  inspiration. 

The  corruptions  had  respect  mainly  to  the  lax  discip- 
line which  prevailed,  especially  in  the  city  churches.  In 
other  words,  all  parties  acknowledge  that  the  main  body 
of  the  early  churches,  prior  to  the  middle  of  the  third 
century,  were  true  churches  of  Christ,  and  that  they  had 
their  origin  from  Christ  and  the  apostles.  And  as  it  has 
been  fully  shown,  upon  good  authority,  that  the  Nova- 
tians  had  their  origin  from  these  primitive  churches,  there- 
fore their  succession  reaches  back  through  the  primitive 
churches  to  Christ  and  the  apostles. 

In  regard  to  these  early  Baptist  churches,  IMr.  Robin- 
son remarks,  that  "  during  the  first  three  centuries,  Chris- 
tian congregations,  all  over  the  East,  sub- 
i?o&.'s  Eccl.  Res.,       -   ,    ^  -  i.     -     ^  ixir 

^5  sisted  m  separate,  mdepentlent  bodies,  un- 

supported   by    Government,    and    conse- 


Origin  of  the  JVovaiians.  169 

quently  without  any  secular  power  over  one  another.  All 
this  time  they  were  baptized ~  [Baptist]  churches,  and 
though  all  the  fathers  of  the  first  four  ages  down  to 
Jerome  were  of  Greece,  Syria,  and  Africa;  and  though 
they  give  great  numbers  of  histories  of  the  baptism  of 
adults,  yet  there  is  not  one  record  of  the  baptism  of  a 
child  till  the  year  370,  when  Galates,  the  dying  son  of  the 
Emperor  Valens,  was  baptized,  by  order  of  a  monarch 
who  swore  he  would  not  be  contradicted.'^ 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  old  English  writers  to  use  the 
word  baptized  where  we  use  the  word  baptist,-  So  we 
have  the  historic  fact,  stated  in  the  foregoing,  that  these 
early  churches  were  Baptist  churches.  ^ 

From  the  shores  of  America  we  have  followed  the  foot- 
prints of  the  Baptist  denomination  back  through  England, 
Holland,  and  Germany,  to  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  and 
thence  to  Italy  and  the  land  of  Judea,  in  the  apostolic 
age.  In  all  our  examinations  we  find  no  flaw  or  break 
in  the  chain  of  our  denominational  succession.  But  it  is 
admitted  that  our  ancestors  were  called  by  different  names 
in  different  ages  of  the  world.  We  now  find  ourselves 
connected  Avith  the  primitive  churches  of  the  first  and 
second  centuries.  And  it  is  admitted  by  all  that  these 
churches  bore  the  apostolic  character.  They  were  mod- 
eled after  the  original  Church  founded  by  Christ  himself 
at  Jerusalem. 

In  making  out  the  chain  of  our  succession,  we  have  not 
embraced  all,  in  different  parts,  who  bore  the  Baptist 
character;  but  we  only  designed  to  present  the  most  direct 
line  of  our  connection  with  the  apostolic  churches  with- 
out the  introduction  of  a  great  many  names. 

Thus  we  have  reached 4he  fountain-head  of  that  mighty 


170  The  J^ovatians, 


stream  of  Scriptural  churclies  flowing  down  from  Jerusa- 
lem through  the  desert  gloom  of  more  than  eighteen  cen- 
turies, and  watering  the  famishing  world  with  the  pure 
Gospel  of  the  River  of  Life.  Here  is  found  the  light-house 
of  the  world,  erected  upon  the  Rock  of  Eternal  Ages,  cast- 
ing its  beams  of  heavenly  light  far  over  the  stormy  seas, 
while  gross  darkness  enveloped  the  world,  and  the  multi- 
tudes were  wondering  after  the  Beast.  Notwithstanding 
we  have  traced  our  denominational  line  of  succession  di- 
rectly up  to  the  apostolical  age,  yet  this  would  avail  us 
nothing  if  we  are  found  destitute  of  the  peculiar  charac- 
teristics which  distinguished  the  apostolic  churches.  We 
will,  therefore,  proceed  in  our  next  to  examine  the  Bajp- 
tist  peculiarities  by  the  light  of  the  New  Testament  and 
the  practice  of  the  apostolic  churches. . 


(Baptist  Succession.  171 


CHAPTER   YIIL 

BAPTIST  PECULIAEITY  FIRST— JESUS  THE  FOUNDER 
AND   HEAD. 

1.  Peculiarity  first  Tested  by  the  Bible, 

2.  Peculiarity  first  Identified  in  present  Baptist  teaching. 

Section  I. — Baptist  peculiarity  first  tested  by 

THE    BIBLE. 

From  the  shores  of  America  we  have  followed  the  foot- 
prints of  the  Baptist  denomination  back  through  England, 
Holland,  Germany,  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  and  Italy, 
up  to  the  land  of  Judea,  in  the  apostolic  age.  We  have 
found  our  denominational  chain  of  succession  unbroken, 
though  the  same  people  were  at  different  times  called  by 
different  names.  \ye  have  now  reached  the  fountain-head 
of  that  mighty  stream  of  Scriptural  churches  flowing  down 
from  Jerusalem  through  the  desert  gloom  of  more  than 
eighteen  centuries,  and  watering  the  famishing  world  with 
the  pure  Gospel  of  the  River  of  Life.  Here  may  be  found 
the  establishment  of  the  Church — the  light-house  of  the 
world — erected  upon  the  Rock  of  Eternal  Ages,  and  cast- 
ing its  beams  of  heavenly  light  far  over  the  stormy  seas 
of  moral  darkness,  Avhile  the  multitudes  of  mankind  were 
enveloped  in  darkness. 

Notwithstanding  we  have  traced  our  denominationaJ 
line  of  succession  directly  up  to  the  apostolic  age,  yet  this 
would  avail  us  nothing  if  we  are  found  destitute  uf  those 
peculiar    characteristics  which    distinguished   the   early 


172  Jesus  the  Founder  a::d  Head: 

churches.  In  chapter  first,  we  laid  down  seven  Baptist 
pcciiUa}'  characteristics  which  now  distinguish  them  from 
all  the  parties  of  Christendom.  We  now  proceed  to  ex- 
amine tliese  peculiarities,  one  by  one,  by  the  light  of  In- 
spiration, to  see  if  they  are  sustained  by  the  word  of  God 
and  examples  of  the  apostolic  churches.  It  was  remarked 
in  the  outset  that  no  denomination,  except  the  Baptist 
claims  Jesus  Christ,  in  person,  as  their  founder  and  head. 
Other  denominations  look  to  uninspired  men  for  their  ori- 
gin. Does  the  Bible  sustain  the  Baptist  doctrine  that  Jesus 
Christ  himself  established  his  own  church  ?  To  the  law 
and  testimony :  The  Lord  spoke  by  the  mouth  of  Daniel 
the  prophet,  and  said  :  "  And  in  the  days  of  these  kings 
^  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kinsfdom, 

which  shall  never  be  destroyed :  and  the 
kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall 
break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it 
shall  stand  forever.^'  It  is  generally  admitted  that  this 
prophecy  points  to  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  God  of  heaven 
who  was  manifested  in  the  flesh.  If  this  be  correct,  and 
it  can  not  be  reasonably  doubted,  then  it  was  declared  by 
the  prophet,  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  God  of  heaven,  should 
set  up  the  everlasting  hingdora.  Does  this  mean  that  Abra- 
ham should  set  up  the  kingdom?  that  Moses  should  set 
it  up?  that  John  the  Baptist  should  set  it  up?  that  Peter, 
or  all  the  apostles  together^  should  set  it  up  ?  Xo  ;  this 
work  was  deleofated  neither  to  ano-els  nor  men.  It  was 
peculiarly  the  work  of  the  God  of  heaven.  Some  assume 
the  position  that  the  God  of  heaven  established  his  king- 
dom on  earth  by  proxy — by  human  agents — as  the  God 
of  heaven  built  the  temple  by  Solomon,  and  wrote  the 
Bible  by  inspired  men.     Bat  it  must  be  remembered,  that 


Tested  by.  the  (Bible.  173 


when  God  performed  these  great  works  through  human 
agents,  those  agents  were  especially  appointed  by  God 
himself  to  perform  their  several  labors.  No  one  but  Sol- 
omon was  divinely  authorized  to  erect  the  first  temple, 
which  was  a  type  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  It  w^ould 
have  been  rebellion  for  any  one  else  to  have  assumed  to 
Uimself  the  right  to  build  the  temple.  Even  David,  the 
highly  favored  king  of  Israel,  dared  not  enter  upon  this 
work  without  divine  permission.  He  earnestly  desired  to 
build  the  house  of  the  Lord,  but  he  would  not  lay  one 
stone  toward  this  work  without  the  heavenly  commission. 
Those  who  wrote  the  Scriptures  were  moved  to  this  work 
by  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  in  the  Gospel  dispensation, 
when  John  the  harbinger  baptized  the  penitent  Jews,  ho 
could  point  to  his  commission  from  heaven,  and  say :  "He 
that  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water.''  Neither  did  the 
apostles  assume  to  themselves  the  apostleship  without  the 
divine  appointment;  they  were  chosen  and  ordained  by 
Jesus  Christ.  But  where  is  the  commission  authorizins: 
either  angels  or  men  to  set  up  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  It 
can  not  be  found.  In  the  vision  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  the 
kingdom  of  God  was  symbolized  by  the  stone  which  "  was 
cut  out  without  hands." 

This  could  not  have  been  the  case  if  God  had  delegated 
human  agents  to  set  up  the  kingdom.  It  is  true  that  men 
.were  appointed  to  perform  certain  duties  in  connection 
with  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom,  but  they  were  not 
appointed  to  set  it  up.  John  the  Baptist  was  sent  "  to 
make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the 
Lord.''     John  did  not  set  up  the  kingdom. 


He  simply  prepared  materials  from  which  Jesus  gathered 
the  first  members  of  the  kingdom.     When  was  the  king- 


174  Jesus  the  Founder  and  Head: 

clom  set  up  ?  We  answer,  that  the  setting  up  of  the  king- 
dom, with  its  laws  and  ordinances,  was  not  an  instanta- 
neous, but  a  gradual  work.  John  preached  the  Gospel  and 
prepared  materials  for  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom,  but 
Jesus  Christ,  soon  after  his  ow^n  baptism  in  the  river 
Jordan,  chose  the  twelve  apostles  who  were  the  first  mem- 
bers of  the  organization  known  as  the  church  or  king- 
dom of  God. 

When  John  beheld  the  triumphant  church  as  the  bride, 
the  Lamb's  wife,  under  the  symbol  of  the  great  city  de- 
scending out  of  heaven  from  God,  he  saw  "  the  names  of 
the  tw^elve   apostles  of  the  Lamb"  in  the 
twelve  foundation  stones.   This  shows  clearly 
that  the  twelve  apostles  were  the  first  or  foundation  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  God.     A  kingdom  or  church  must, 
of  necessity,  have  a  king  to  rule  over  it,  subjects  to  be 
ruled,  and  laws  to  be  obeyed.     Jesus  Christ  himself  is  the 
king,  from  everlasting  to  everlasting.     The  absurd  idea  of 
the  coronation  of  Jesus  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  is  false 
and   ridiculous.      He   possessed   kingly  glory  with  the 
Father  before  the  world  was ;  he  was  born  King  of  the 
Jews ;  he  was  the  ^'  King  of  Israel "  when 
Kathaniel  met  him ;  and  he  declared  him- 
self to  be  a  king  at  the  bar  of  Pilate.     It  is  a  settled 

r.    r.„      point  that  Jesus  Christ  was  king  while  on 
John  18 :  37.      -^      ,     ,     ^         ,      ,         „  ^  ,     ^    ^ 

earth,  before  the  day  oi  Pentecost.    And  the 

king  had  subjects  to  be  governed  as  soon  as  the  apostles 
left  all  and  followed  him.  The  seventy  disciples  were  soon 
added  to  the  twelve,  and  the  subjects  of  the  king  contin- 
ued to  increase  during  his  ministry.  But  when  were  the 
laws  delivered  for  the  government  of  the  kingdom  ?  As 
Moses  came  down  and  delivered  the  laws  to  govern  na- 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  17£ 

tional  Israel,  after  he  had  fasted  forty  days  on  the  Mount, 
so  Jesus  Christ,  after  he  had  fasted  forty  days  during  hig 
temptation  in  the  wilderness,  began  to  deliver  the  laws  for 
the  government  of  his  kingdom.  The  Savior  continued 
to  deliver  these  laws  till  the  night  of  his  betrayal. 

After  the  Lord^s  Supper  was  instituted,  then  Jesus  de- 
livered the  kingdom,  as  a  complete  organization,  to  the 
disciples  in  the  following  words :  ^^And  I  appoint  unto 

vou  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  ap-  ^  ,  „^  ^^  ^^ 
•    .   ^    ,       °         '      ^,{  ^      \     LuJx22:  29,30. 

pomted  unto  me;  that  ye  may  eat  and 

drink  at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel."  While  Jesus  Christ 
the  king  was  personally  present  with  the  church,  he  trans- 
acted the  business  of  the  kingdom ;  but  he  was  now  about 
to  depart  to  the  Father,  and  he  delivered  to  his  disciples 
the  kingdom,  or  the  authority  to  execute  the  laws  of  the 
kingdom  in  the  absence  of  the  King.  In  the  same  night, 
in  his  dedication  prayer,  the  Savior  said :  ^^  I  have  finished 

the  work  which  thou  gravest  me  to  do."    The     ^  , 

^    ,      ^  .       .  1  T  John  17 :  4. 

settmg  up  01  the  kingdom  was  the  work  as- 
signed by  the  Father  to  Jesus  Christ;  and  as  he  declared 
that  his  work  was  finished,  we  must  conclude  that  he  had 
completed  the  setting  up  of  his  kingdom.  This  position 
is  fully  illustrated  in  the  building  of  Solomon's  Temple, 
which  was  a  type  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Solomon's 
Temple  was  built  of  stones  and  timbers  prepared  in  the 
quarry  and  forests  of  Lebanon.  Solomon  did  not  bring 
rough  materials  and  place  them  in  the  building  in  order  to 
prepare  them,  as  is  done  by  modern  workmen ;  but  each 
stone  and  timber  was  first  prepared  for  its  place,  and  then 
placed  in  the  temple,  and  the  building  progressed  to  com- 
pletion without  the  sound  of  a  hammer.     The  temple  was 


176  Jesus  the  Fovmder  and  Head: 

complete,  in  all  of  its  parts,  before  it  was  publicly  dedicated 
to  the  service  of  God  by  prayer  and  the  application  of 
sacrificial  blood ;  likewise  the  Church  of  Christ  Avas  a  com- 
plete organization,  all  of  its  laws  and  ordinances  had  been 
delivered,  before  it  was  publicly  dedicated  by  the  prayer 
of  Jesus,  recorded  in  the  17th  of  John,  and  the  applica- 
tion of  his  own  blood  which  was  shed  upon  the  tree  of 
the  Cross.  The  injunction  requiring  the  apostles  to  tarry 
at  Jerusalem  until  they  were  endued  with  power  from  on 
high,  had  no  reference  to  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom, 
but  to  the  power  to  speak  with  tongues  and  remember  all 
the  previous  teaching  of  the  Savior.  The  Baptist  position, 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  founder  of  his  own  church,  is 
supported  by  the  language  of  the  Savior  himself,  as  follows : 
"  And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 

^r  ,.  ^n    -,0     "fcl^is  rock  I  will  build  my  church:  and  the 

Matt.  16:  18.  ^  1    n     1     n  '         .1  .  .    ,, 

gates  01  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it." 

Did  the  Savior  mean  that  Peter  would  build  his  church  ? 
that  Luther  would  build  his  church  ?  that  Calvin  would 
build  his  church?  that  John  Wesley  would  build  his 
church  or  that  Alexander  Campbell  would  build  his 
church?  No.  He  declared,  Iioill  build  my  church;  and  a 
church  or  kingdom  built  by  any  one  else  is  not  the  kingdom 
of  Christ.  As  already  remarked,  the  establishment  of  the 
church  as  a  complete  organization  was  a  gradual  work 
from  the  calling  of  the  apostles  to  the  establishment  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  This  work  had  been  begun  before  the 
Savior  said,  upon  this  rock  will  I  build  my  church  ;  and  he 
went  forward  to  complete  and  establish  his  church  upon 
himself  as  the  only  foundation  which  is  able  to  support 
his  kingdom.  The  Baptist  position  has  been  fully  sus- 
tained, that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  founder  of  his  own  church, 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  177 

and  that  it  Avas  set  up  during  his  personal  ministry  on 

earth.     The  Savior  said :  "  The  law  and  the  prophets  were 

until   John:    since  that   time  the   kingdom      ^  ,    ,^    ,^ 

^  Lukel^:  16. 

01  (jrod  IS  preached,  and  every  man  presseth 

into  it."  This  passage  alone  ought  to  silence  every  ob- 
jector who  denies  that  the  kingdom  was  set  up  before 
Pentecost.  The  Savior  began  his  work  while  John  was 
living,  and  men  pressed  into  the  kingdom  before  the  day 
of  Pentecost.  For  the  further  discussion  of  the  setting 
up  of  the  kingdom,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  second 
chapter  of  my  Text-Book  on  Campbellism.  Again,  are 
the  Baptists  right  in  claiming  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only 
head  of  the  church?  In  ancient  times  the  Baptists  were 
called,  by  way  of  derision,  the  Acephali — the  headless  — 
because  they  acknowledged  no  human  head.  That  Jesus 
Christ  should  be  recognized  as  the  head  of  his  disciples, 
as  their  great  teacher,  Avas  established  by  the  voice  of  the 
Father  when  speaking  in  the  hearing  of  the  affrighted 
disciples  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration; 
he  said :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased ;  hear  ye  him."  Any  society  which  ap- 
peals to  any  other  authority  than  that  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
cases  of  discipline,  does  not  recognize  him  as  its  head  and 
law-giver.  The  same  position  is  affirmed  by  the  apostle 
Paul,  when  he  declares  that  God  "hath  put  all  things 
under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  the  head  j^  j  .  ^c) 
over  all  things  to  the  church,  which  is  his  •    •     ,   ^• 

body,  the  fullness  in  him  which  filleth  all  in  all."     And 
again,  the  same  apostle  says:    "But  speaking  the  truth  in 
love,  may  grow  up  into  him  in  all  things, 
which  is  the  head,  even  Christ :  from  whom         •    •     '     • 
the  whole-  body  fitly  joined  together,  and  compacted  by 


178  Jesiis  the ^ Founder  and  Head: 

that  which  every  joint  suj^plieth,  according  to  the  effectual 
working  in  the  measure  of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of 
the  body  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love.^'  Once  more, 
waiting  to  the  Cohjssians,  Paul  affirms  that  ^'  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church,  who  is 
the  beginning,  the  first-born  from  the  dead; 
that  in  all  things  he  might  have  the  pre-eminence.^'  From 
the  foregoing,  and  many  similar  passages,  it  is  abundantly 
proved  that  Jesus  Christ  alone  is  to  be  regarded  as  the 
founder  and  head  of  his  own  kingdom.  The  idea  of  the 
body  of  Christ,  his  church,  having  a  human  head,  is  ut- 
terly preposterous.  In  fact,  whenever  any  one  presumes 
to  occupy  the  place,  either  as  the  founder  or  head  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  he  has  partaken  of  the  character  and 
prerogative  of  Antichrist.  We  now  reaffirm  that  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  is  the  only  one  on  ea7'th  ichich  claims 
Jesus  Christ  in  person  as  its  founder  and  head. 


Section  II. — Baptist  authority   claiming   jesus 

CHRIST  AS  THE  FOUNDER  AND  HEAD  OF  THE 
CHURCH. 

It  is  almost  a  work  of  supererogation  to  collect  testi- 
mony on  this  point;  because,  all  who  have  even  a  slight 
acquaintance  with  Baptist  doctrine,  ought  to  know  that 
it  is  a  fundamental  principle  Avith  Baptists  to  claim  Jesus 
Christ  as  their  only  founder  and  head.  But,  as  some  are 
prone  to  pervert  Baptist  views,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
gather  a  few  authorities  on  this  important  point. 

In  the  Philadelphia  Confession  of  Faith,  it  is  said: 
Bel  Denom.  U.  "The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head  of  the 
S.  G.  B.,  p.  51.      Church,  in  whom,  by  the  appointment  of 


Claimed  by  (Baptist  Authorities.  179 

the  Father,  all  power  for  the  calling,  institution,  order,  or 
government  of  the  church,  is  invested  in  a  supreme  and 
sovereign  manner/'  This  is  but  the  testimony  of  all  the 
Baptists  in  the  world. 

The  author  of  the  Religious  Encyclopedia,  in  this  point 
testifies  as  follows:  '^They  [Baptists]  think  that  the 
Christian  Church,  properly  so  called,  was  not  visibly  or- 
ganized in  the  family  of  Abraham,  nor  in  the  wilderness 
of  Sinai,  but  by  the  ministry  of  Christ  him- 
sell,  and  or  his  apostles;  and  that  it  was        ^^„  ^  ' 

then  constituted  of  such,  and  of  such  only, 
as  made  a  credible  profession  of  repentance  from  sin  and 
faith  in  the  Savior.'^     And  on  the  same  subject  the  Bap- 
tist Manual,  published  by  the  American  Baptist  Publica- 
tion Societv,  remarks:  "  We  acknowleda-e    ^ 
no  founder  but  Christ."     ihus  we  find, 
that  the  Baptists  of  the  present  day  possess  the  Bible  char- 
acteristic, that  Jesus  Christ  in  person  set  up  his  own 
kingdom. 


180       The  (Bible  as  the  cRiile  of  Conduct: 


CHAPTER   IX. 

BAPTIST  PECULIAKITY  SECOIS^D— THE  BIBLE  AS  THE 
RULE  OF  CONDUCT. 

1.  Peculiarity  Second  tested  by  the  Bible. 

2.  Peculiakity  Second  identified  in   Present    Baptist 

Teaching. 

Section  I. —  Baptist  peculiarity  second   tested 
BY  the  bible. 

Nearly  all  parties  are  agreed  that  the  Scriptures  should 
be  the  standard  of  appeal;  but,  at  the  same  time^  many 
have  their  own  disciplines  and  confessions  of  faith,  fixing 
the  terms  of  union  and  communion.  They  appeal  to 
these  human  standards  in  the  transaction  of  their  church 
business.  There  are  some,  however,  besides  Baptists,  who 
of  late  profess  to  be  governed  by  the  Bible  alone  in  their 
church  affairs;  but  it  will  be  found,  in  the  sequel,  that 
they  reject  a  large  part  even  of  the  Xew  Testament  from 
their  standard  of  worship.  It  will  be  found,  upon  strict 
inquiry,  that  the  Baptists  are  the  only  people  who  take 
the  Bible  alone  as  their  rule  of  faith  and  practice  in 
church  matters.  But  is  this  doctrine,  thai  the  Word  of 
God  should  be  our  rule  of  conduct^  sustained  by  Inspi- 
ration ? 

The  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  is  King  in  his  kingdom, 
ought  to  establish  the  point,  that  no  authority  except  his 
own  is  binding  on  his  subjects.  And  it  is  an  admitted 
fact  that  the  Bible  contains  the  authority  or  laws  of  Jesus 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  181 

Christ;  therefore,  the  Bible  alone  should  be  the  rule  of 
faith  and  practice  in  his  kingdom.  Jesus  Christ  is  alone 
the  Law-giver  and  Ruler  in  Zion.    The  doctrine  that  un- 
inspired men,  have  the  right  to  make  laws  for  the  king- 
dom of  God,  is  pregnant  with  rebellion  against  the  king. 
It  appears  to  me  that  it  would  be  as  suitable  for  one  to 
attempt  to  write  a  code  of  laws  to  govern  the  angels  in 
heaven  as  to  make  laAvs  to  govern  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ  on  earth.    It  is  evident  that  God  the  Father  recog- 
nized his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Law-giver  in  Zion,  when 
at  ^le  transfiguration  he  said:  ^^This  is  my 
beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased; 
hear  ye  him.^'     We  are  under  no  obligation  to  hear  any 
other  authority  than  that  of  Jesus  in  matters  of  religion. 
Jesus  is  that  prophet  spoken  of  by  Moses,  when  he  ^'  Said 
unto  the  children  of  Israel,  a  prophet  shall 
the  Lord  your  God   raise  up  unto  you  of 
your  brethren,  like  unto  me;  him  shall  ye  hear.''     As 
Moses  was  the  law-giver  and  prophet  in  national  Israel,  so 
Jesus  Christ,  his  great  antetype,  is  Lav/-giver  and  Ruler 

over  spiritual  Israel.     And  "He  that  des-   ^^,   ,^    ^„  „, 
.     1  i.r        »  1         T    1      -1  ■^^^-  10:  28-31. 

pised  Moses  law  died  without  mercy  un- 
der two  or  three  witnesses :  Of  how  much  sorer  punish- 
ment, suppose  ye,  shall  he  be  thought  worthy,  who  hath 
trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath  counted  the 
the  blood  of  the  covenant,  wherewith  he  was  sanctified, 
an  unholy  things  and  hath  done  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of 
o^race?  For  we  know  him  that  hath  «aid.  Vengeance  be- 
longeth  unto  me,  I  will  recompense,  saith  the  Lord.  And 
again,  the  Lord  shall  judge  his  people.  It  is  a  fearful 
thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God.^^  It  is 
evident,  from  this  connection,  that  those     who  have  trod- 


182       The  (Bible  as  the  ^Rule  of  Conduct : 

den  underfoot  the  Son  of  God,  are  those  who  have  des- 
pised or  rejected  the  laws  of  Christ;  and  as  those  who 
despised  the  law  of  Moses  died  without  mercy,  who  can 
estimate  the  fearful  doom  of  those  who  disobey  Jesus 
Christ?  God  said,  by  the  mouth  of  Samuel  the  prophet, 
to  king  Saul,  who  departed  somewhat  from  the  letter 
of  the  Lord's  commandment :  "  Hath  the 
"'"  *  Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt-offerings 
and  sacrifices,  as  in  obeying  the  voice  of  the  Lord?  Be- 
hold, to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken  than 
the  fat  of  rams.  For  rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft, 
and  stubbornness  is  as  iniquity  and  idolatry.  Because 
thou  hast  rejected  the  word  of  the  Lord,  he  hath  also  re- 
jected thee  from  being  king.'^  From  these  passages  of 
Scripture  we  discover  the  dreadful  turpitude  of  the  sin  of 
despising  or  disregarding  the  word  of  the  Lord  under  any 
pretext  whatever.  Jesus  said  to  the  Jews :  "  Howbeit  in 
vain  do  they  worship  me,  teaching  for  doc- 
trines the  commandments  of  men."  This  is 
positive  testimony  that  the  commandments  of  men  are  not 
binding  in  matters  of  religion, —  that  they  are  vain  wor- 
ship,   Paul  speaks  to  the  same  point,  as  follows  :  "  Where- 

^  ,  ^    ^^  ^^     fore  if  ye  be  dead  with   Christ  from  the 
Ool,  2 :  20—23. 

rudiments  of  the  world,   why,   as  though 

living  in  the  world,  are  ye  subject  to  [human]  ordinances, 

(u)uch  not ;  taste  not ;  handle  not ;  which  all  are  to  peris  h 

with  the  using;)  after  the  commandments  and  doctrines 

of  men?    Which  things  have  indeed  a  show  of  wisdom  in 

will  worship  and  humility,  and  neglecting  of  the  body; 

not  in  any  honor  to  the  satisfying  of  the  flesh."     In  tliis 

passage  the  apostle  condemns,  in  unmeasured  terms,  all 

the  '^  commandments  and  doctrines  of  men,"  whatever  may 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  183 

be  their  appearance  of  wisdom  and  humility.     "For  the 

wisdom  of  this  world  is  foolishness  with  God.       ^ 

,^       .    .  .  T  Til  .       .       ,     .       1  Cor.  3:   19. 

L  or  it  IS  written,  he  taketh  the  wise  in  their 

own  craftiness."    When  we  are  governed  in  religious  wor- 

shi])  by  human  Disciplines,  or  Confessions  of  Faith,  we  are 

guilty  of  following  the  commandments  and  doctrines  of 

men.     The  apostle  Paul  explains  the  use  of  the  inspired 

Scriptures  as  follows :    "  All  Scripture  is       ^      «      ^    -, 
.         ,.        ..  (^  r-i    ^  1-  r^        2Tim.^:  16,17. 

given  by  inspiration  oi  (jrod ;  and  is  prolit- 

able  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruc- 
tion in  righteousness  :  that  the  man  of  God  may  be- perfect, 
thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works."  This  sets 
forth  the  Scriptures,  the  Word  of  God,  as  the  perfect  rule 
of  actioD,  by  which  all  acceptable  service  must  be  ren- 
dered to  God.  And  if  we  adopt  any  other  rule  of  action, 
we  reject  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Law-giver.  In  fact, 
it  will  be  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ  by  which  we  shall  be 
judged  in  that  great  day  when  the  dead,  small  and  great, 
shall  stand  before  the  throne  of  God ;  for  Jesus  has  de- 
clared that,  "He  that  reiecteth  me,  and  re-     ^  , 

;  /  .]    ,  •     1         JohnU:  48,49. 

ceiveth  not  my  words,  hath  one  that  judg- 

eth  him :  the  word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge 
him  in  the  last  day.  For  I  have  not  spoken  of  myself: 
but  the  Father  which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  command- 
ment, what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should  speak."  And 
in  view  of  being  judged  b}^  the  Word  of  God,  we  have,  in 
the   last   chapter  of  Revelation,    the  following  terrible 

warning :  "  For  I  testify  unto  every  man 
11  11  1       r»  1  1  n    R^v.  22 :   18,  19. 

that  heareth  the  words  oi  the  prophecy  oi 

this  Book,  if  any  man  shall  add  unto  these  things,  God 

shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are  written  in  this 

Book ;  and  if  any  man  shall  take  away  from  the  words  of 


184       The  (Bible  as  the  (kule  of  Conduct: 

the  Book  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away  his  part 
out  of  the  Book  of  Life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city,  and  from 
the  things  which  are  wTitten  in  this  Book.'^ 

In  the  face  of  these  Scriptures,  how  dare  any  one  to 
adopt,  as  authority  in  religion,  any  r^de  except  the  Word  of 
God?  As  the  New  Testament  is  the  last  Will  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  it  contains  all  the  duties  enjoined  upon  the 
children  of  God  in  the  Christian  dispensation.  While  the 
New  Testament  is  our  standard  of  appeal,  we  regard  the 
Old  Testament  as  necessary  to  confirm  and  establish  the 
New.  Thus  we  have  found  that  the  second  Baptist  pecu- 
liarity, as  introduced  in  the  first  chapter  of  this  work,  is 
fully  sustained  by  the  inspired  Word. 


Section   IL  —  Peculiarity  second  identified  in 

PRESENT    baptist    TEACHING. 

That  the  Bible  alone  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  rule  of 
faith  and  practice,  all  Baptists  hold  ivith  unyielding  te- 
nacity. 

It  is  true  that  Baptists  have,  at  different  times,  writ- 
ten their  views  on  the  prominent  points  of  Scripture  doc- 
trine, which  has  proved  very  important  as  a  matter  of 
history ;  but  they  appeal  to  no  other  standard  except  the 
Bible,  in  the  reception,  discipline  and  exclusion  of  members. 

Dr.  W^ayland  remarks:  "The  question  is  frequently 

asked.  What  is  the  creed,  and  what  are  the  acknowledged 

standards  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  this 

rin.  an       rac.    ^Q^y^j^^^y^     To  this  the  general  answer  has 

ofBapts.,  p.  13.  /  ^       f   n  -n  . 

ever  been,  'Our  rule  oi  laitn  and  prac- 
tice is  the  New  Testament.^  We  have  no  other  authority 
to  which  we  all  profess  submission.'^ 


Idsniified  i:i  (Baptist  Teaching.  185 

Also,  Joseph  Belcher,  speaking  of  the  Baptists,  says: 
"  It  is  important,  however,  that  it  should  be  well  under- 
stood that  nowhere  do  the  churches  of  this 
denomination  require  subscription  to  this     ^  n  j^    ^^40  ' 
or  any  other  human  creed  as  a  term  of 
f<il lowship.     They  adhere  rigidly  to  the  New  Testament 
as  the  sole  standard  of  Christianity/'     In  the  first  article 
of  the  abstract  of  principles  contained  in  the  Encyclo2:>e- 
dia  of  Religious  Knowledge,  it  is  affirmed,  that  the  Bible 
is  "  The  supreme  standard  by  which  all 
human  conduct,  creeds  and  opinions  should       ^W^'^-    ncycj 
be  tried."     In  fact,  it  is  but  the  united 
voice  of  all  Baptists  throughout  the  world,  that,  "  We 
profess  to  take  for  our  guide,  in  all  matters 
of  relio-ious  belief  and  practice,  the  New      /I?'  ^^       ^J^' 
lestamentj  the  whole  JSew  lestament,  and 
nothing  but  the  New  Testament.^'    And  it  will  be  seen,  here- 
after, that  this  has  been  a  prominent  feature  of  Baptist 
doctrine  through  all  the  dark  ages  of  Popery,  when  no 
other  denomination  even  professed  to  be  governed  by  the 
Scriptures  alone.    But  have  not  the  Baptists  a  Confession 
of  Faith,  which  they  regard  as  their  standard  of  doctrine? 

No ;  none  except  the  Bible.  But  they  have,  at  differ- 
ent times,  in  different  countries,  given  expression  to  their 
views  of  Bible  doctrine.  And  these  expressions  of  Bap- 
tist sentiments  have  usually  been  called  forth  in  order  to 
correct  the  false  and  slanderous  charges  which  have  been 
heaped  upon  the  persecuted  Baptists. 

In  these  latter  days  these  "  confessions  of  faith  '^  have 
become  the  more  necessary  from  the  fact  that  almost  a 
thousand  antagonistic  parties  profess  to  believe  the  Bil)le. 
The  Savior  prayed  that  all  his  disciples  might  be  one,  in 


186       The  (Bible  as  the  (Rule  of  Conduct: 

order  to  the  conversion  of  the  world.  The  design  of  this 
oneness  was  not  simply  to  assemble  together  a  mass  of 
persons  holding  all  sorts  of  doctrines.  The  apostle  ex- 
horted  the  brethren  as  follows:  ^^I  beseech 
you,  brethren,  by  the  name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and  that 
there  be  no  divisions  among  you  :  but  that  ye  be  perfectly 
joined  together  in  the  same  mind,  and  in  the  same  judg- 
ment.'^ And  in  order  to  this  oneness,  in  mind  and  judg- 
ment, it  becomes  absolutely  necessary  for  those  who  desire 
to  dwell  together  in  unity  to  express  themselves  in  regard 
to  the  leading  points  in  Bible  doctrine. 

If  they  design  to  be  united  in  church  capacity,  it  is 
necessary  for  persons  to  express  themselves,  at  least  on  all 
those  points  which  are  essential  to  church  organization ; 
for  if  persons  should  assemble  together  simply  on  the 
profession  that  they  believe  the  Bible,  then  we  might 
have  Boman  Catholics,  Episcopalians,  Presbyterians,  Lu- 
therans, and  Methodists,  with  all  other  Pedobaptists ; 
and  also  we  would  have  Unitarians,  Universalists,  Qua- 
kers, Campbellites,  and  Mormons,  all  united  with  Bap- 
tists on  the  vague  profession  of  believing  the  Bible. 
We  must  not  only  receive  the  Bible  as  our  standard 
theoretically,  but  we  must  make  it  our  rule  of  action. 
Therefore,  in  the  midst  of  such  a  multitude  of  opposing 
parties  and  doctrines,  it  becomes  absolutely  necessary  for 
those  who  would  dwell  together  to  express  their  views  of 
Bible  doctrine ;  and  as  a  summary  of  faith  must  be  ex- 
pressed in  order  to  Christian  union,  it  can  certainly  be 
no  more  harm  to  write  it  than  to  express  it  orally.  This 
summary  of  doctrine,  wdiether  written  or  unwritten,  is 
the  creed  of  the  individual  who  holds  it;  it  is  a  Bible 


Identified  in  (Baptist  Teaching.  187 

creed  only  so  far  as  it  comports  with  Inspiration.    On  this 
sul)ject,  Mr.  Jeter  writes  as  follows :  "  Every  intelligent 
Christian  has  a  creed,  written  or  unwrit- 
ten.    There  are  certain  facts,  truths,  and      ^^^  ^  ^f^ 

.  posed,  p.  34. 
principles  which  he  believes  and  main- 
tains, and  the  belief  of  which  he  deems  essential  to  the 
essence  of  true  holiness.  He  may  or  may  not  write  these 
articles  of  his  belief;  but  they  are  equally  his  creed,  and 
equally  efficacious  in  controlling  his  conduct,  whether 
they  are  written  or  unwritten.  The  writing  of  them  is 
merely  placing  in  a  visible  form  what  previously  existed 
in  his  mind,  and  doing  so  contravenes  no  law  of  Christ 
and  violates  no  moral  obligation.  But  what  is  here 
affirmed  of  an  individual,  may  with  equal  clearness  and 
propriety  be  affirmed  of  a  church  of  Christ.'^ 

But  it  must  be  remembered  that  such  ^'  creeds,^^  or  ex- 
pressions of  faith,  are  not  appealed  to  in  the  reception, 
trial,  and  exclusion  of  members  among  Baptists.  In  an- 
swer to  the  charge  made  by  Alexander  Campbell,  that 
the  Baptists  had  a  Confession  of  Faith  as  a  bond  of  union. 
Elder  J.  L.  Waller  says :  "  Let  us,  then,  calmly  examine 
creeds,  as  used  by  the  Baptists,  and  see 
what  there  is  in  the  matter  so  terrible  to    ^  o?!  ^^    ^  eueiv, 

iO-iO,  p.   loo. 

Christians.  And  we  here  state,  and  we 
defy  all  contradiction,  that  the  only  bond  of  union  and 
communion  ever  recognized  by  the  Baptist  denomination, 
is  the  Bible.  This  every  man  acquainted  with  their  his- 
tt-ry  knows  to  be  the  truth.  They  never  published  any 
cieed,  long  or  short,  at  any  time,  as  a  bond  of  union  and 
communion.  These,  we  say,  are  notorious  facts,  and  we 
assert  them  in  the  face  of  the  thousand  and  one  statements 
to  the  contrary,  made,  of  late  years,  in  print  and  in  the 


188       TJie  (Bible  as  the  (Rule  of  Conduct: 

pulpit.  That  the  Baptists  have  creeds,  is  admitted ;  but  that 
these  creeds  are  used  as  bonds  of  union,  is  denied."  In  ex- 
planation of  the  use  of  creeds  among  Baptists,  Mr.  Waller 
continues:  "The  first  Confession  of  Faith 
ever  published  by  the  Baptists  in  England, 
was  in  16 i3.  They  prefaced  it  thus:  ^A  Confession  of 
Faith  of  seven  congregations  or  churches  of  Christ,  in  Lon- 
don, which  are  commonly,  but  unjustly,  called  Anabaptists; 
puhUshed  for  the  vindication  of  the  truth  and  iiformation 
of  the  ignorant;  likewise  for  the  talcing  off  those  aspersions 
which  are  frequently,  both  in  pulpit  and  print,  unjustly 
cast  upon  them.'  You  will  remark  that  it  was  published 
for  the  vindication  of  the  truth,  and  to  remove  unjust  im- 
putations, under  which  the  Baptists  were  suffering,  and 
not  as  terms  of  union  and  communion."  And  it  will  be 
found  that  Baptists  have  often  published  an  expression  of 
faith  for  the  information  of  the  ignorant,  for  the  vindica- 
tion of  the  truth,  and  to  stand  as  a  matter  of  history  to 
point  out  to  future  generations  the  principles  for  which 
they 'suffered.  This  Confession  of  Faith,  referred  to  by 
Elder  Waller,  may  be  found  in  the  appendix  to  the  first 
volume  of  Crosby's  History  of  English  Baptists,  page  7. 
Again,  in  the  year  1689,  the  delegates  of  more  than 
one  hundred  churches  met  in  London  and  republished  the 
former  Confession  of  Faith,  "for  the  satisfaction  of  all 
other  Christians  that  differ  from  us  in  the  point  of  bap- 
tism." Various  other  expressions  of  faith  and  practice 
have  been  published  by  the  Baptists,  at  different  times, 
down  to  that  published  by  the  Philadelphia  Association  in 
1742.  And  this  association  repeated  the  language  of  the 
English  Baptists  as  a  reason  for  its  publication.  These 
American  Baptists,  like  their  English  brethren,  felt  themr 


Identified  in  (Baptist  Teaching.  189 

selves  "  To  be  under  necessity  of  publishing  a  Confession 
of  Faith,  for  the  information  and  satisfac- 
tion of  those  that  did  not  thoroughly  un-     /^  ^''^  ,^f  ' 

°     •'  mew,  p.  134. 

derstand  what  our  principles  were,  or  had 
entertained  prejudices  against  our  profession,  by  reason  of 
the  strange  representation  of  them  by  some  men  of  note, 
who  had  taken  very  wrong  measures,  and  accordingly  led 
others  into  misapprehensions  of  us  and  them/^  It  is  a 
w^ell-known  fact,  that  in  all  these  Baptist  confessions  of 
faith  the  Bible  is  recognized  as  the  rule  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice. Once  more,  Mr.  Waller  says :  "  Our  churches  gen- 
erally have  creeds,  or  declarations  of  their 

faith  upon  their  church-books :  and  these     ^  ^^^  ^P  • 

^  ^  mew,  p.  13o. 

creeds  they  make  themselves,  but  they  do 

not  feel  bound  to  make  them  in  obedience  to  the  wdll  of 

any  synod,  council  or  assembly  upon  earth.     Over  these 

creeds  they  maintain  absolute  supremacy,  and  can  alter 

or  abolish  them  at  pleasure.     They  are  never  used  as 

terms  of  union  and  communion ;  for  no  person  is  required 

to  subscribe  to  them  on  being  received  into  membership." 

Mr.  Waller  says,  in  conclusion  :  "  One  principle  which  has 

always  been  esteemed  fundamental  by  us — 

THE  INDEPENDENCE  AND  SOVEPwEIGNTY        .  .Ji' 

view,  p.  13o. 

OF  EACH  CHURCH — ought  to  have  con- 
vinced any  reflecting  man,  that  a  denominational  creed,  as 
a  bond  of  union  and  communion,  was  wholly  out  of  the 
question,  and  t'ae  charge  that  we  had  such,  was  a  foul  slan- 
der.'^ It  is  now  clear  that  the  Baptists  possess  the  peculi- 
arity of  the  primitive  churches  in  taking  the  Bible  as  their 
rule  oi  faith  and  practice. 


190  Order  of  the  Cominandinents : 


CHAPTER    X. 

BAPTIST   PECULIAEITY  THIRD— ORDER  OF  THE  COM> 
MANDMENTS. 

1.  Peculiarity  Third  tested  by  the  Bible. 

2.  Peculiarity    Third   identified    in    present    Baptist 

teaching. 

Section  I. — Baptist  peculiarity  third  tested  by 
THE  bible. 

Baptists  hold  the  Bible  order  of  the  commandments; 
they  teach  Repentance,  Faith,  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's 
Supper.  This  is  emphatically  a  Baptist  peculiarity  ;  this 
order  is  not  even  professed  by  any  other  denomination  on 
earth.  This  is  a  very  important  feature  or  point  of  doc- 
trine, which  will  aid  us  in  identifying  the  true  Church  of 
Christ.  Jesus  Christ  not  only  established  laws  for  the 
government  of  his  disciples,  but  he  established  the  precise 
order  in  which  those  laws  must  be  obeyed.  To  violate 
the  order  of  a  law,  is  to  disregard  the  law  itself,  and  treat 
the  law-giver  with  contempt.  For  the  officers  of  a  civil 
government  to  pretend  to  enforce  the  laws  by  inverting 
the  order  of  their  application,  would  involve  them  in  the 
censure  of  the  government  and  the  forfeiture  of  their  office. 
That  one  who  changes  the  order  of  the  laws  of  Christ,  ar- 
rays himself  as  a  rebel  against  his  government.  Paul 
said  to  the  Corinthians ;  "  Now  I  praise  you,  brethren, 
that  you  remember  me  in  all  things,  and 
keep  the  ordinances  as  I  delivered  them  to 
you.''     These  brethren  were  not  at  liberty  to  change  the 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  191 

ordinances  ;  they  were  to  keep  them  as  they  were  deliv- 
ered.  Of  these  four  important  oomminiJs,  two — repent- 
ance and  faith — are  enjoined  upon  sinners  in  order  to 
their  pardon ;  and  the  other  two — baptism  and  the  Lord^s 
Supper — are  enjoined  upon  the  children  of  God  in  order 
to  their  Christian  duty  and  advancement  in  divine  life. 
As  regards  the  order  of  repentance  and  faith,  the  Bible  is 
clear.  Jesus  said  to  those  who  believed  in  the  existence 
of  God  :  '•  Repent  ye,  and  believe  the  Gos-  i^r  j  -i  -i- 
\)e\J'  It  is  freely  admitted  that  before  one 
can  repent,  he  "must  believe  that  God  is,  and  "that  he  is 
a  rewarder  of  them  that  dilio-ently  seek  ^^,  ,,  ^ 
him.  But  devils  and  wicked  men  may  be- 
lieve this  much,  and  even  tremble,  without  possessing 
faith  with  the  heart.  It  is  the  faith  that  ivorks  by  love, 
purifies  the  heart,  implies  trust  in  Christ,  and  is  with  the 
heart,  which  follows  repentance,  and  is  necessary  to  the 
pardon  of  sins.  This  is  that  faith  referred  to  by  the  apos- 
tle, when  he  said  :  "  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one 
baptism.'^  There  are  false  gods,  but  only 
one  true  God;  there  are  false  baptisms,  but  only  one  true 
baptism  approved  by  Jesus  Christ ;  there  is  a  dead  faith, 
without  works,  which  wicked  men  and  devils  may  possess 
without  repentance,  but  there  is  only  one  faith  with  the 
heart  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  the  heart-faith 
which  follows  repentance,  and  through  which  salvation, 
the  gift  of  God,  is  bestowed.  When  Jesus  Christ  preached 
to  the  Jews,  he  said :  Repent  ye,  and  believe  the  Gosnel, 
Did  he  make  a  mistake  as  to  the  order  ?  Our  modern  Ke- 
formors,  who  are  wise  above  that  which  is  written,  reprove 
the  Savior  by  changing  his  order ;  they  say :  Believe  and 
repent  /     When  Jesus  reproved  the  chief  priests  and  the 


192  Order  of  the  Command'tnents : 

elders  for  rejecting  the  Gospel  as  preached  by  John,  he 
said  unto  them ;  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  publi- 
cans and  the  harlots  go  into  the  kingdom 
01  (jrod  before  you.  i?  or  J  ohn  came  unto 
you  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  ye  believed  him  not; 
but  the  publicans  and  the  harlots  believed  him :  and  ye, 
when  ye  had  seen  it,  repented  not  afterward,  that  ye  might 
believe  him.^^  Mark  the  fact,  that  Jesus  made  repentance 
in  order  to  faith.  Paul,  acting  under  the  immediate  com- 
mission and  authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  laid  down  the  or- 
der in  which  he  performed  his  mission,  as  follows  :  "  Testi- 

^^    ^        fyino:  both  to  the  Jews,  and  also  to  the  Greeks. 
Acts  20  •  21.        */      o  y 

repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our 

Lord  Jesus  Christ.'^  Paul  certainly  understood  the  order 
of  these  commandments  ;  he  preached  the  same  order  to 
Jews  and  Gentiles — repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  to- 
ward our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  it  should  be  remem- 
bered, that  in  every  passage  in  the  entire  Bible  where  re- 
pentance and  faith  are  mentioned  together,  repentance  is 
always  first  in  point  of  order ;  and  he  who  dares  to  change 
this  order,  incurs  the  anathema  of  Jesus  Christ  for  preach- 
ing another  Gospel.  For  the  further  discussion  of  this 
subject,  the  reader  is  referred  to  my  book  on  Campbellism. 
This  part  of  the  Baptist  order  is  fully  sustained  by  the 
Scriptures. 

We  now  proceed  to  examine  the  relative  order  of  bap- 
tism— the  third  command  in  this  chain  of  obedience.  I  be- 
lieve that  it  is  generally  admitted  that  the  commission 
given  by  Jesus  Christ  before  his  ascension,  contains  all 
the  authority  for  the  administration  of  baptism.  The  ex- 
ecution of  the  commission  is  committed  to  the  churches  of 
Christ  as  his  representatives  on  earth.     The  great  com- 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  193 

mission  stands  thus :  "  All  power  is  given   unto  me  in 

heaven  and  in   earth.     Go  ye  therefore,     ,, 

,       Ti  .  T         .   .  H  .       Matt.  2S:  18,20. 

and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  m 

the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 

Ghost:  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 

have  commanded  you :   and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 

even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.^'     "  And  he  said  unto 

them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach     ,^    ,  ,  ^   ,  ^  ^„ 
,       i,        \  '      -r/     ,  Mark  16 :  15,  16. 

the  Gospel  to  every  creature.     He  that 

believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that  be- 
lieveth  not  shall  be  damned. ^^ 

By  the  examination  of  this  commission,  as  given  by 
Matthew  and  Mark,  the  items  stand  thus :  ^'  First — 
Teaching  or  preaching.  Second — Belief  or  faith  on  the 
part  of  the  taught.  Third — The  baptism  of  the  believer 
in  Christ.  Fourth — The  teaching  or  instructing  the  dis- 
ciples in  all  the  commandments  of  Christ.  And,  lastly, 
the  promise  of  the  Savior  is,  to  be  with  those  who  thus  ex- 
ecute his  commission  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Those  who 
change  the  order  of  faith  before  baptism,  are  not  acting 
under  the  commission  of  Jesus  Christ ;  neither  have  they 
the  promise  of  the  approval  of  the  Master  in  this  depart- 
ure from  his  authority.  Those  who  invert  the  order  of 
baptism,  place  themselves  upon  a  level  with  those  who 
change  the  order  of  repentance  and  faith.  And  in  the 
execution  of  the  great  commission  by  the  apostles  and 
early  Christians,  they  always  required  the  profession  of 
faith  before  baptism.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost  none  were 
baptized  except  those  who  had  repented  and 
•'gladly  received  ^^  the  word  of  God.  Noun- 
believer  has  gladly  received  the  word  of  God.  The  hearts 
of  the  Pentecostians  were  purified  "  by  faith  "    Acts  16 :  9. 


194  Order  of  the  Commandments. 

before  baptism.     And  it  is  said  of  the  Samaritans,  that: 

"When  they  believed  Philip  preaching  the 

things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 

the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  were  baptized,  both  men 

and  women.^^     Mark  the  fact,  that  the  people  of  Samaria 

"  believed ''  before  they  were  baptized.    When  the  eunuch 

rs    ««         demanded  baptism,  then  "Philip  said,  if  thou 
Acts  8:  37.        ,    ,.  •  T       ,i     i      i  i 

believest  with  all  thy  heart,  thou  mayest. 

Once  more:  it  is  recorded,  concerning  the  jailer,  that  he 
"Rejoiced,  believing  in  God,  with  all  his 
house."  And  in  the  case  of  all  the  other 
household  baptisms,  there  are  circumstances  mentioned 
which  go  to  prove  that  none  were  baptized  except  adults. 
There  can  no  instance  be  found  in  the  Scriptures  devi- 
ating from  the  commission  which  requires  faith  in  order 
to  baptism.  We  now  advance  one  step  further  in  the 
examination  of  the  Baptist  order  of  teaching  —  repent- 
ance, faith,  baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper — and  ask  the 
question.  Does  the  Bible  sustain  the  position  that  baptism 
should  precede  the  Lord's  Supper?  We  first  introduce 
the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  baptized  before  he 
instituted  or  partook  of  the  supper  with  his  disciples. 
Also,  the  apostles  had  been  baptized  before  the  institution 
of  the  supper. 

And  the  commission  itself  fixes  baptism  as  the  first 
duty  after  believing  with  the  heart;  therefore,  under  the 
commission  no  one  can  commune  before  baptism.  The 
communion,  is  one  of  those  things  which  was  to  be  ob- 
served after  baptism.     The  Savior  established  the  com- 

^   ,   ^r.    r.r.  ^^     mumou  in  his  kingdom  :  for  he  said,  "And 
Luke  22 :  29  30.  . 

'     '    I  appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,   as   my 

Father  hath  appointed  unto  me ;  that  ye. may  eat  and  drink 


baptist  Order  of  the  Commands.         195 

at  my  table  in  my  kingdom ;  ^'  and  as  baptism  is  essential 
to  membership  in  the  visible  kingdom,  therefore  baptism 
must,  of  necessity,  precede  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  is  in 
the  Lord's  kingdom.  In  fact,  there  is  no  instance  on 
Divine  record  where  any  unbaptized  person  ever  ap- 
proached the  Lord's  table.  It  was  after  the  Pentecostean 
converts  had  been  baptized  and  added  to  the  church,  that 
they  "  Continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles' 
doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of 
bread,  and  in  prayers."  This  breaking  of  bread,  no 
doubt,  had  reference  to  the  Lord's  Supper ;  therefore,  none 
except  the  baptized  in  church  fellowship  have  the  right 
to  the  Lord's  table.  The  invitation  of  the  unbaptized  to 
the  Lord's  Supper  is  a  modern  custom,  gotten  up  for  the 
sake  of  popularity. 

The  Communion  question  will  be  discussed  in  another 
chapter. 

We  have  now  seen  that  the  third  peculiarity  is  fully 
sustained  by  Inspiration.  The  Bible  teaches  Repentance, 
Faith,  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  as  the  divine  or- 
der of  these  requirements. 


Section  II. — Peculiarity  third — the  bible  or- 
der OF  repentance,  faith,  baptism,  and  the 
"  lord's  supper  identified  with  the  pres- 
ent baptist  teaching. 

But  little  need  be  said  in  locating  this  as  a  Baptis) 
peculiarity,  from  the  fact  that  no  other  denomination  claims 
^liis  order.  Be  it  remembered  that  the  Baptists  are  the 
only  people  who  advocate  the  Bible  order  of  the  com- 
mandments.    It  is  admitted  that  some  Baptists  recently, 


196  Order  of  the  Commandments. 

especially  in  England,  have  adopted  the  open  commuDion 
custom  of  receiving  the  unbaptized  to  the  communion', 
but  they  do  not  plead  either  Scripture  precept  or  example 
for  such  a  practice.  In  order  to  identify  peculiarity  third 
with  the  present  Baptist  practice,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
appeal  to  the  united  testimony  of  the  great  mass  of  Bap- 
tists as  set  forth  in  their  preaching  and  writings.  I  Avill, 
however,  introduce  a  few  authorities  on  this  point. 

In  a  Confession  of  Faith,  presented  by  the  English  Bap- 
tists to  Charles  IL,  in  article  eleventh  we  have  the  follow- 
Croshy'sHis.E.  ii^g  ^  "That  the  right  and  only  way  of 
Bapt.,  vol.  II,  gathering  churches  (according  to  Christ's 
Ap.,  p.  81.  appointment.  Matt,  xxviii:  19,  20,)  is  first 

to  teach  or  preach  the  Gospel  (Mark  xvi :  16)  to  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  men ;  and  then  to  baptize  (that  is,  in 
English,  to  dip)  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Spirit,  or  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
such  only  of  them  as  profess  7'epentance  toivaj^d  God,  and 
faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  QunstJ'  And  in  article  thir- 
teenth of  the  same  Confession,  these  persecuted  Baptists 
say:  ^^That  it  is  the  duty  of  such,  who  are  constituted  as 
aforesaid,  to  continue  steadfastly  in  Christ's  and  the  apos- 
tles' doctrine,  and  assembling  together  in  fellowship,  in 
breaking  of  bread  and  prayers.  Acts  ii :  42."  The  above 
Confession  was  signed  by  the  London  Baptists,  and  ap- 
proved by  twenty  thousand  members.  They  firmly  main- 
tained the  Bible  order  of  repentance,  faith,  baptism,  and 
the  breaking  of  bread,  or  the  Supper,  in  fellowship  after 
baptism.  We  are  informed,  by  Mr.  Orchard,  that  in  the 
times  of  King  James  I.  the  English  Baptists  "  Held  that 
Orch  Ru  Bapt  repentance  and  faith  must  precede  bap- 
vol.  II,  p.  250.        tism ;  that  the  baptism  of  the  Church  of 


(Baptist  Order  of  the  Commands.         197 

England  and  the  Puritans  was  invalid,  and  that  the  true 
baptism  was  among  them."  These  English  Baptists  pre- 
served the  Bible  order  of  these  leading  commands ;  but 
the  American  Baptists  are  more  uniform  in  the  entire 
preservation  of  this  order  than  their  English  brethren ; 
for  some  of  the  English  ventured  to  violate  the  order  as 
respects  the  communion. 

Mr.  Cramp,  in  his  history  of  the  Baptists,  makes  the 
following  statement  of  Baptist  doctrine : 
"  We  deny  sacramental  power,  maintain-  '  '^  ^^  * 
ing  that  the  soul  is  renewed  and  sancti- 
fied, not  by  any  outward  act  performed  upon  us  or  by  us, 
but  by  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  and  the  grace  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  AYe  gather  from  the  teachings  of  the  apostles, 
that  a  man  should  he  a  Christian  before  he  avows  himself 
to  be  one ;  and,  in  full  accordance,  as  we  believe,  with  the 
instructions  of  the  New  Testament,  we  admit  none  to  our 
fellowship  without  a  profession  of  repentance  toward  God 
and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Chirst.  Their  baptism  is,  at 
the  same  time,  a  declaration  of  their  sole  reliance  on  the 
Savior,  and  a  symbol  of  their  union  with  him  in  his  death 
and  his  resurrection — a  spiritual,  vital  union."  Mr.  Cramp 
here  states  the  order  of  Baptist  teaching.  Baptists,  with 
great  uniformity,  teach  repentance  and  faith  as  the  relative 
order  of  these  commands.  And  no  one  has  ever  denied 
that  Baptists  teach  faith  as  a  prerequisite  to  baptism ;  and 
the  general  complaint  of  close  communion  against  Baptists 
settles  the  point  that  they  hold  baptism  as  necessary  to 
the  lawful  approach  to  the  Lord's  table.  We  have  found 
that  the  Baptists  preserve  the  Bible  order  of  the  com- 
mandments ;  they  teach  repentance  toward  God  and  faith 
toward  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  the  burial,  in  baptism,  of 


198  Order  of  the  Commandnients. 

believers,  and  the  breaking  of  bread,  in  the  Supper,  by 
those  in  church  fellowship. 

Once  more :  In  the  Baptist  Confession  of  Faith,  pub- 
lished, from  time  to  time,  in  England,  and  adopted  by  the 
Philadelphia  Association  in  1742,  and  republished  lately 
in  the  Religious  Denominations,  by  Joseph  Belcher,  we 
have  the  following :  ^^  Those  who  actually 
e.     enom.,  p.     pj^^f^gg  repentance  toward  God,  faith  in, 
and  obedience  to,  our  Lord  Jesus,  are  the 
only  proper  subjects  of  this  ordinance^' — baptism.     The 
Baptist  order  is  only  the  Bible  order  of  the  commands. 


(Baptist  Succession.  199 


CHAPTER  XI. 

BAPTIST   PECULIARITY    FOURTH  —  BURIAL    IN    BAP- 
TISM OF  THE  DEAD  TO  SIN 

1.  Baptist  Peculiarity  Fourth  tested  by  the  Bible. 

2.  Peculiarity    Fourth    identified    in   Present    Baptist 

Teaching. 

Section  I. —  Baptist  peculiakity  fourth  tested 

BY   THE   BIBLE. 

Baptists  immerse,  or  bury  with  Christ  in  baptism, 
only  those  who  profess  to  be  dead  to,  or  freed  from,  sin. 
Like  the  others,  this  peculiarity  belongs  alone  to  Baptists. 
All  other  denominations  either  fail  to  bury  in  baptism, 
or  baptize  those  whom  they  admit  to  be  unpardoned  sin- 
ners. This  will  be  seen  when  we  come  to  examine  the 
claims  of  others.  I  do  not  purpose  to  enter  upon  the  dis- 
cussion of  what  is  usually  called  the  "mode"  of  baptism, 
in  this  work.  It  will  not,  however,  be  amiss  at  this 
point  to  introduce  a  few  Scripture  proofs  to  sustain  the 
position  that  baptism  is  immersion,  or  a  burial. 

The  meaning  of  the  Greek  word  baptizo,  which  was  used 
by  the  Savior  to  designate  his  command,  ought  forever  to 
settle  the  action  of  baptism  in  every  unbiased  mind.  It  is 
known  that  its  ordinary  and  primary  meaning  is  to  im- 
merse, or  its  equivalent;  and  that  no  standard  Greek 
lexicon  gives  either  "' sprinkle "  or  "pour"  as  a  meaning 
of  the  word  baptizo  at  all.  It  is  absolutely  impossible  for 
the  ordinance  of  baptism  to  be  three  different  and  opposite 


200  (Burial  in  (Baptism  : 

actions.  If  sprinkling  is  the  falfillment  of  the  ccramand 
to  be  baptized,  then  pouring  and  immersion  are  not;  if 
pouring  is  the  fulfillment  of  the  command,  then  sprinkling 
and  immersion  are  not;  but  if  immersion  is  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  command  to  be  baptized,  then  sprinkling  and 
pouring  are  not. 

First:  My  first  proof  is  based  upon  the  example  of  the 
baptism  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  notion  that  the  Savior  was 
baptized  to  initiate  him  into  his  priestly  office,  is  unknown 
to  the  Scriptures;  and  was  only  invented  to  escape  the 
force  of  the  example  of  the  Son  of  God  in  favor  of  im- 
mersion. The  Savior  received  only  one  "  mode ''  of  bap- 
tism ;  therefore,  his  example  can  not  be  plead  in  favor  of 
^x ,   ^     .  ^        three  "  modes.^^    The  apostle  said  that :  "  In 

HeO.  2:1/.  ^^        ^    >  -ii  II-  1  1T1 

all  things  it  behooved  nim  to  be  made  like 
unto  his  brethren,  that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faith- 
ful High  Priest  in  things  pertaining  to  God,  to  make 
reconciliation  for  the  sins  of  the  people.'^  He  required  his 
disciples,  his  brethren,  to  be  baptized;  he,  therefore,  left 
his  example  to  stimulate  others  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 
He  required  ail,  in  becoming  members  of  the  church, 
to  be  baptized ;  and  he  did  not,  therefore,  violate  his  own 
law  in  becoming  Head  over  all  things  to  the  church. 
Several  facts  should  be  observed  in  connection  with  the 
baptism  of  Jesus :  firsty  he  came  to  John  the  Baptist,  the 
only  person  in  the  world  then  authorized  to  administer 
baptism — he  did  not  receive  "  alien ^^  baptism  ;  second,  in 
order  to  be  baptized,  he  went  down  into  the  water  of  the 
river  Jordan ;  third,  after  his  baptism,  he  came  wp  out  of 
the  water ;  fourth,  while  in  the  water,  he  was  buried  in 
baptism  ;  for  Paul  says  :  "  Therefore,  we  are 
[were,  aorist  tense]  buried  with  him  by  bap- 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  201 

tism  into  death :  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the 
dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should 
walk  in  newness  of  life/^  In  order  to  avoid  the  force 
of  this  passage,  some  have  assumed  the  absurd  position 
that  burial  in  baptism  refers  to  conversion.  This  would 
involve  the  gross  absurdity  of  the  conversion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  thereby  making  him  a  sinner  like  other  men. 
Other  modern  critics  contend  that  the  burial  in  baptism 
here  mentioned,  has  reference  to  Holy  Spirit  baptism  ;  and 
they,  at  the  same  time,  admit  that  water  baptism  should 
be  of  the  same  mode  as  Holy  Spirit  baptism ;  therefore, 
according  to  their  own  admission,  water  baptism  must  be 
a  burial  or  immersion,  in  order  to  be  of  the  same  mode  as 
Holy  Spirit  baptism,  which  they  admit  to  be  a  burial  or 
immersion.  Then,  it  is  a  point  made  out,  that  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  we  are  commanded  to  follow,  was  immersed, 
or  buried  in  baptism ;  and  as  he  only  received  and  com- 
manded "one  baptism,^^  therefore,  those  who  have  not' 
been  immersed,  have  neither  received  Christian  baptism 
nor  followed  the  example  of  Jesus  in  his  ordinances.  In 
regard  to  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  Dr.  Macknight,  a  learned 

Presbyterian,  says  that  Jesus  "  Submitted 

.      1       T,      -•      1     J.1     X   •      1       -1  1       ^.^        Baptist  Manual. 

to  be  baptized,  that  is,  buried  under  the        :^^  ' 

water  by  John,  and  to  be  raised  out  of  it 

again,  as  an  emblem  of  his  future  death  and  resurrection.^' 

Bishop  Taylor,   the   learned  Episcopalian,   says:    "The 

custom  of  the  ancient  churches  was  not    „ 

.    .  , .         ,         .  .         .  Bapt.  Man.,  p.  18. 

sprinkling,  but  immersion,  in  pursuance 

of  the  sense  of  the  word  in  the  commandment,  and  the 

example  of  our  blessed  Savior."    John  Calvin,  the  founder 

of  Presbyterianism,  says  that :  "Baptism    ^ 

T     .    .  ,    /     -r  ,  1  ^.,     .       n        Bapt.  Man.,  p.  20. 

was  administered,  by  John  and  Christ,  by 


202  (Burial  in  (Baptism: 

plunging  the  whole  body  under  the  water.'^  We  might 
multiply  quotations  to  show  that  the  most  learned  Pedo- 
baptist  scholars  concede  the  point,  that  the  baptism  per- 
formed by  John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus  Christ  was  performed 
by  immersion. 

Second:  The  places  where  baptism  was  performed  indi- 
cate that  it  must  have  required  more  water  than  is  used 
for  sprinkling.     Mark  says:  "And  there  went  out  unto 

,^  ,  ^  ^  him  all  of  the  land  of  Judea,  and  they  of 
Mark  1 :  o.         .,  ,  ,  , ,  ,         .      ^     ^  ,  .      . 

Jerusalem,  and  were  all  baptized  oi  him  m 

the  River  of  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins.^^     Also :    "And 
John  also  was  baptizing  in   Enon,  near  to 
Salim,  because  there  was  much  water  there ; 
and  they  came,  and  were  baptized.'^     Thus  we  see,  that 
in  the  time  of  Christ,  baptism  was  performed  in  the  river 
of  Jordan,  or  where  there  was  "much  water";  and  the 
people  "came,"  were  not  brought,  in  order  to  be  baptized. 
Third:  Immersion  is  implied  in  the  circumstances  at- 
tending the  baptism  of  the  eunuch;  for  it  is  said  that, 
"  They  went  down  into  the  water,  both  Philip  and  the 
eunuch  ;  and  he  baptized  him.     And  when 
they  were  come  up  out  oi  the  water,  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught  away  Philip,  that  the  eunuch 
saw  him  no  more :   and  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing." 
It  will  be  observed,  that  both  the  administrator  and  can- 
didate went  down  into  the  water,  and  after  the  baptism 
they  came  up  out  of  the  water,  which  would  have  been 
wholly  unnecessary  in  the  supposition  that  sprinkling  was 
performed. 

Fourth:  The  design  of  baptism  absolutely  requires  that 
it  must  be  performed  by  a  burial,  or  an  immersion.  Bap- 
tism is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  being  for  the  remission^  or 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  203 

washing  away  of  sins.  Ananias  said  to  Saul :  "  And  now, 
why  tarriest  thou  ?  arise,  and  be  baptized,  and 
wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord.'^  Some  have  fallen  into  the  egregious  error,  tliat 
baptism  is  literally  for  the  remission  or  washing  away  of 
sins.  It  is  evident,  however,  that  we  only  wash  away 
sins  in  baptism  in  the  same  sense  that  we  eat  the  flesh  and 
drink  the  blood  of  Christ  in  the  Supper.  Jesus  said  of 
the  bread,  "This  is  my  body;"  and  of  the  wine,  "This 
is  my  blood."  And  the  Catholic,  in  his  superstition,  takes 
the  language  of  Jesus  literally,  and,  therefore,  worships 
the  bread  and  wine  a&  the  actual  body  and  blood  of  Jesus; 
and  in  like  manner,  some  Protestants  have  taken  those 
passages  literally  which  speak  of  baptism  as  being  for  the 
remission  of  sins ;  and  they,  therefore,  depend  on  baptism 
as  the  condition  of  the  actual  pardon  of  sins.  They  have 
fallen  into  the  same  error,  on  this  point,  into  which  the 
Catholics  have  fallen  on  the  communion  question.  The 
truth  is,  that  we  only  eat  the  flesh  and  drink  the  blood  of 
Jesus  emblematically  in  the  Supper,  and  likewise  sins  are 
washed  away  emblematically  in  baptism.  But  as  we  rep- 
resent the  w^ashing  away  of  sins  in  baptism,  how  much  of 
the  subject  should  be  w^ashed?  Ashe  is,  in  a  state  of  na- 
ture, entirely  sinful,  in  order  to  represent  the  washing 
away  of  sins,  the  subject  should  have  an  entire  washing, 
a  burial  with  Christ  in  baptism.  Nothing  less  than 
an  immersion  will  properly  represent  the  washing  away 
of  sins. 

Fifth:  Once  more:  the  prominent  design  of  baptism  is 
to  represent  the  burial  and  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Paul 
introduced  in  his  argument  in  favor  of  the  resurrection, 
baptism  as  a  witness  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.     He 


204  (Burial  in  (BaHism 


-  ^     1  -   90     ^'^^^  *  "  ^^^  what  shall  they  do,  which  are 
baptized  for  the  dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at 
all.     Why  are  they  then  baptized  for  the  dead?" 

Paul  introduced  baptism  here  as  a  witness  to  prove  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead ;  but  as  nothing  except  immersion 
represents  the  resurrection,  therefore,  nothing  except  im- 
mersion is  the  baptism  for  which  Paul  contended.  The 
celebrated  commentator.  Dr.  Clark,  says  on  this  passage: 
"  But  as  they  received  baptism  as  an  em- 
-'!\q^  0? .,  i^ig^j^  Qf  death  in  voluntarily  going  under 
the  water,  so  they  receive  it  as  an  emblem 
of  the  resurrection  unto  eternal  life  in  coming  up  out  of  the 
w^ater.  Thus  they  are  baptized  for  the  dead  in  perfect 
faith  of  the  resurrection."  It  is  evident  that,  as  tlie 
Lord's  Supper,  as  a  monument,  commemorates  the  suf- 
ferings and  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  baptism,  as  a  monu- 
ment, commemorates,  or  shows  forth,  his  burial  and  resur- 
rection. When  an  individual  has  been  spiritually  cruci- 
fied with  Christ,  or  killed  to  the  love  of  sin,  and  is  dead 
to,  or  freed  from  sin,  he  should  be  buried  with  Christ  in 
baptism,  and  arise  to  walk  in  newness  of  life.  This  is 
taught  in  Paul's"  letter  -to  the  Romans,  where  he  asks : 

^    ^  „     "  How  shall  we  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any 
Rom.  6:  2-7.     ,  ^i        •    o     t-  ^  ^i    ! 

longer  therein  ;     Know  ye  not,  that  so  many 

of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ,  w^ere  baptized 

into  his  death  ?     Therefere  we  are  buried  with  him  by 

baptism  into  death  :  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from 

the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should 

walk  in  newness  of  life.     For,  if  we  have  been  planted 

together  in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  w^e  shall  be  also  in 

the  likeness  of  his  resurrection  :    Knowing  this,  that  our 

old  man  is  crucified  with  him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  205 

he  destroyed,  that  henceforth  we  shall  not  serve  sin.  For 
he  that  is  dead  is  freed  from  sin/^  From  the  above  it  is 
clearly  taught,  that  when  the  ^^old  man  is  crucified  with 
him,"  and  he  becomes  ^^  dead  to  sin/^  that  he  that  is  dead 
is  freed  from  sin,  or  pardoned ;  and  as  death  to  sin  must 
come  ])efore  baptism,  therefore  freedom  from  sin  likewise 
takes  place  before  baptism.  It  has  ever  been  a  funda- 
mental doctrine  with  Baptists,  to  baptize  none  except  they 
have  first  professed  faith  in  Christ,  and  to  have  received 
the  pardon  of  sins.  Baptists  regard  baptismal  salvation 
as  one  of  the  main  pillars  of  popery.  The  idea  of  baptiz- 
ing a  child  of  the  devil  in  order  to  make  him  a  child  of 
God,  is,  to  a  Baptist,  preposterous. 

That  persons  should  be  children  of  God,  or  freed  from 
sin,  before  baptism,  is  proved  from  all  those  Scriptures 
which  ascribe  salvation  and  eternal  life  to  faith  in  Christ. 

One  quotation  is  sufficient:    "He  that  be-     _, 

T         T         1  .      .  T  1111  John  3 :    18. 

lievetn  on  him  is  not  condemned  ;  but  he  that 

believeth  not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not 

believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God." 

And :  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he 

that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth  on  him 

that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come  into 

condemnation ;   but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life." 

Several  facts  are  taught  in  these  Scriptures :  firsts  the 
unbeliever  is  condemned,  not  for  want  of  baptism,  but  be- 
cause he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten 
Son  of  God ;  second,  the  believer  is  not  condemned,  and 
he  must  be  a  believer  before  baptism,  therefore  his  con- 
demnation is  removed  before  baptism;  thirdly ,  the  be- 
liever hath,  in  the  present  time,  everlasting  life,  and  as  he 
is  in  possession  of  everlasting  life  before  baptism,  there- 


206  (Burial  in  (Baptism. 

fore  he  is  freed  from  sin,  and  is  a  child  of  God,  before 
baptism ;  fourth,  the  believer  in  Christ  has  already  passed 
from  death  unto  life,  and  shall  not  come  into  condemna- 
tion ;  therefore  he  is  freed  from  sin  before  baptism,  be- 
cause he  has  passed  from  death  unto  life  before  baptism. 
And  if  the  pardon  of  sins  does  not  really  occur  when  one 
becomes  a  true  believer  in  Christ,  then  a  large  part  of 
the  New  Testament  can  not  be  true.  We  find  that  the 
Baptist  peculiarity  fourth  is  fully  sustained  in  the  Word 
of  God.  The  Bible  teaches  the  burial  with  Christ  in 
baptism  only  of  those  v)ho  profess  to  be  dead  to,  or  freed 
froiUy  sin. 


Section  II. — Peculiarity  fourth   identified  in 

PRESENT  BAPTIST  TEACHING. 

It  is  really  unnecessary  to  introduce  witnesses  to  prove 
that  Baptists  universally  teach   immersion  as  the  only 
Scriptural  action  of  baptism.     The  editor  of  the  Keligious 
Encyclopedia  remarks  on  this  subject:  "That  in  the  opin- 
ion of  Baptists,  baptism  is  the  immersion 

eigwm    ncyc.y     ^^^  water  of  a  suitable  candidate,  in  the 
p.  181.  '^  ' 

name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 

Holy  Ghost.     The  only  suitable  candidate  is  a  person  tr/?o 

has  been  born  of  the  Sjnrit,  and  who  is  united  to  Christ  by 

faith.''     Again,  the  same  author  says :  "  In  regard  to  this 

ordinance  of  Christ,  ^  they  have  ever  held,' 
eigwus    ncyc,    ^^^^^  -^^^    Benedict,  their  historian,  ^  that 

a  personal  profession  of  faith,  and  an  im- 
mersion in  water,  are  essential  to  baptism.' "  And  in  the 
same  work,  article  twelfth  of  the  Baptist  Declaration  of 
Faith  reads  as  follows:  "Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's 


(Baptists  oppose  ^Baptismal  Salvation.       'l^l 
SUPPEE. — That  Christian  baptism  is  the 

r       ^     ^^  •  j.        •       xi         Beligious  Encyc. 

immersion  oi  a  believer  in  water,  in  the        ^^^  ^  ' 

.  .  P-  191. 

name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit;  to 

Fhow  forth  in  a  solemn  and  beautiful  emblem,  our  faith  in 
a  crucified,  buried,  and  risen  Savior,  with  its  purifying 
power;  that  it  is  prerequisite  to  the  privileges  of  a  church 
relation ;  and  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  in  which  the  members 
of  the  church,  by  the  use  of  bread  and  wine,  are  to  com- 
memorate together  the  dying  love  of  Christ ;  preceded  al- 
ways by  solemn  self-examination/^  In  fact,  no  one  has 
ever  accused  the  Baptists  of  holding  anything  less  than  an 
immersion  or  burial  in  water  for  baptism.  But  some  per- 
sons, through  ignorance  or  prejudice,  have  accused  the  Bap- 
tists with  teaching  baptismal  salvation ;  therefore,  a  few 
9ther  proofs  on  this  point  will  be  given.     Mr.  Robinson, 

the  Baptist  historian,  savs:  "Baptism  is     „  ,  _ 

Ecci  Res   D  AlI\ 
a  relative  institution,  and  all  Christians  "       " 

consider  it  so.  Some  think  it  is  an  institution  connected 
w^ith  a  profession  of  Christianity,  and,  of  course,  it  is  re- 
lated only  to  temporal  church  fellowship.  This  is  the 
opinion  of  Baptists.  Others  suppose  it  is  connected  with 
sanctification,  and  the  pardon  of  sin,  and  related  to  the 
future  state,  and  consequently  that  it  is  necessary  to  sal- 
vation.^^ Thus  we  have  the  Baptist  view,  that  while  bap- 
tism is  a  solemn  duty  enjoined  upon  every  child  of  God  as 
a  prerequisite  to  church  fellowship  and  communion,  they 
do  not  regard  it  as  essential  to  salvation. 

Joseph  Belcher,  speaking  of  Baptists,  remarks  that: 
"  It  is  true  that  they  regard  baptism  as  an 

essential  ordinance  of  the  Christian  Church,    ^^'  «,  t"''^''  ^^ 

'    215,  216. 

and  that  no  one  can  be  a  member  of  that 

church  unless  he  be  baptized.     It  is  also  true  that  they  do 


208  burial  in  (Baptism. 

not  regard  any  otlier  mode  of  administering  this  ordinance 
as  valid  or  Scriptural,  except  immersion.  And  hence,  it 
is  also  true,  that  they  refuse  to  admit  those  to  commune 
with  them,  who,  though  baptized  by  sprinkling,  have 
never  been  baptized  by  immersion.  *  ^  ^  -^  It  is  proper, 
further,  to  remark,  that  Baptists  do  not,  as  is  sometimes 
erroneously  asserted,  regard  baptism  as  possessing  in  itself 
any  irresistible  influence  in  sanctifying  those  who  receive 
it.  They  regard  it  as  the  outward  sign  of  the  inward 
change ;  and  not  the  means  by  which  repentance  and  sanc- 
tification  are  produced."  Baptists  do  not  regard  baptism 
as  the  "means"  of  pardon.  In  fact,  the  Baptists  are  the 
only  denomination  that  performs  baptism  at  all,  which  is 
not,  more  or  less,  chargeable  with  the  doctrine  of  baptismal 
salvation.  Catholics  hold  that  the  unbaptized  are  damned. 
Protestant  Pedobaptists  hold  that  baptism  is  the  seal  of 
the  covenant  of  graces  and  the  modern  JRefonners  make 
baptism  regeneration  itself,  and  essential  to  salvation ;  but 
Baj)tists  hold,  as  they  have  ever  done,  that  none  have  a 
right  to  baptism  till  they  are  already  pardoned  and  saved. 
So,  instead  of  holding  baptismal  salvation,  the  Baptists 
teacii,  that  salvation  from  sin  is  essential  to  baptism.  Bap- 
tists stand  out  in  Christendom  alone  against  the  Komish 
dogma  of  baptismal  salvation.  This  is  a  fundamental 
doctrine  with  them.  INIr.  Benedict  shows  the  absurdity 
of  baptismal  regeneration,  on  page  286  of  the  History  of 
the  Baptists. 


Fifth  Peculiarity  tested  by  the  (Bible.        209 


CHAPTER    XII. 

BAPTIST    PECULIAEITY    FIFTH— EQUALITY    IN    THF 
KINGDOM. 

1.  Baptist  Peculiarity  Fifth  tested  by  the  Bible. 

2.  Peculiarity    Fifth    identified    in    present    Baptist 

teaching. 

Section  I. — Baptist  peculiaeity  fifth  tested  by 
THE  bible. 

Baptists  recognize  equal  rights  or  privileges  in  the  exe- 
cution of  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Perfect  religious  liberty  has  been  one  of  the  landmarks 
of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  every  period  of  its  history. 
We  have  been  regarded  with  jealousy  and  suspicion  by  all 
the  despotic  rulers  of  earth,  because  our  principles  tend  to 
the  overthrow  of  all  despotism.  This  perfect  religious 
liberty  advocated  by  Baptists,  does  not  in  the  least  inter- 
fere with  any  political  or  social  relations  which  are  or- 
dained of  God. 

Is  the  Baptist  doctrine  of  ^'  soul  liberty  "  and  religious 
equality  in  the  churches  of  Christ,  sustained  by  the  Bible? 
The  prophecy  concerning  the  mission  of  John,  who  intro- 
duced the  Gospel  dispensation,  indicates  the  equality  ad- 
vocated by  Baptists.  Of  John^s  mission,  the  Lord  said : 
"  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wil- 
derness. Prepare  ye  the  w^ay  of  the  Lord,  *  ' 
make  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God. 
Every  valley  shall  be  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and 


210  Eqtiality  in  the  Kingdom: 

hill  shall  be  made  low :  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made 
straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain/^  This  prediction 
indicates  the  grand  mission  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  in 
leveling,  in  a  religious  point  of  view,  the  human  family. 
The  kings  and  nobles  of  earth  are  to  be  brought  down,  and 
the  poor,  lame,  halt,  and  blind,  are  to  be  raised  to  the 
dignity  of  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints  in  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

Since  the  fall  of  man,  there  has  ever  rankled  in  his  bo- 
som the  spirit  of  pride,  which  prompts  him  to  seek  the 
opportunity  to  usurp  authority  over  his  fellow  men.  And 
even  Christians  are  not  entirely  free  from  this  spirit  of 
Antichrist.  The  apostles  themselves  had  strife  among 
them  as  to  which  should  be  accounted  the  greatest.  But 
Jesus  firmly  rebuked  the  very  first  buddings  of  this  spirit 
of  error,  as  follows :  "  But  Jesus  called  them  to  him,  and 
,^  -.  .r.  .^  ..  saith  unto  them,  Ye  know  that  they  which 
are  accounted  to  rule  over  the  Gentiles, 
exercise  lordship  over  them;  and  their  great  ones  exercise 
authority  upon  them.  But  so  shall  it  not  be  among  you : 
but  whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  shall  be  your  min- 
ister; and  whosoever  of  you  will  be  the  chiefest,  shall  be 
servant  of  all."  And  just  before  the  Savior's  death,  he 
repeated  the  same  lesson  of  instruction  to  his  disciples,  as 

y  ■,    C.C.    r.-  r..     followsi     "  Aud  lic  sald  unto  them,  the 
Luke  22:  25,  26.     ,  .  ^   ,     ^        .,  .■,-,,. 

kings  01  the  Gentiles  exercise  lordship  over 

them ;  and  they  that  exercise  authority  upon  them  are  called 

benefactors.    But  ye  shall  not  be  so :  but  he  that  is  greatest 

among  you,  let  him  be  as  the  younger;  and  he  that  is 

chief,  as  he  that  doth  serve."     How  daring  must  be  that 

pride  that,  in  the  face  of  these  instructions,  would  prompt 

any  one  to  claim  the  pre-eminence,  or  usurp  authority 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  .  211 

over  his  brethren !  It  is  almost  universally  admitted,  that 
the  churches  of  Jesus  Christ  are  the  executives  of  his  king- 
dom, appointed  to  execute  the  laws  of  the  King.  Now, 
if  this  position  be  correct,  then  all  the  members  of  each 
church  are  authorized  to  participate  in  the  transaction  of 
business,  unless  some  of  them  are  expressly  prohibited  by 
the  Word  of  God;  but  no  class  of  church  members  are 
prohibited  from  a  participation  in  the  transaction  of  busi- 
ness; therefore,  all  the  members  are  authorized  to  act  in 
the  transaction  of  business. 

But  the  question  may  be  asked  :  "  Do  not  the  ministers 
or  elders  possess  superior  authority  to  rule  over  the 
churches,  and  execute  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  ?  "  It  is 
very  important  that  Ave  should  understand  the  meaning 
of  the  New  Testament  ruling  by  the  elders  or  pastors  of 
the  churches.  This  New  Testament  ruling  is  not  to  do 
all  the  voting,  and  transact  all  the  business  of  a  church  in 
matters  of  discipline,  hut  to  give  them  meat  in  due  season; 
for  Jesus  "  The  Lord  said,  who  then  is  that 
faithful  and  wise  steward  whom  his  Lord 
shall  make  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give  them  their 
portion  of  meat  in  due  season  ?^^  The  Lord  has  made 
these  '^  rulers  ^^  over  his  house,  not  to  decide  cases  of  dis- 
cipline, but  to  give  them  their  portion  of  meat  in  due  season. 

He  has  appointed  them  to    feed  his  sheer)     ^  ,    ^,     ^^ 
,  ,       ,         T     .     P      1  '^  o  1        John  21:  16. 

and.  lambs.     It  is  further  evident,  irom  the 

language  of  Peter,  that  the  elders  of  the  churches  are  to 

rule  by  advice  and  example,  and  not  by  deciding  cases  of 

discipline.     Peter  said  :  "  The  elders  which  ^ 

are  among  you  I  exhort,  who  am  also  an 

elder  and  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  also  a 

partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed :    feed  the 


212  Equality  in  the  Kingdom: 

flock  of  God  which  is  among  you,  taking  the  oversight 
thereof,  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly;  not  for  liithy 
lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind ;  neither  as  being  lords  over 
God's  heritage,  but  being  ensamples  to  the  flock.'' 

Thus  we  find  that  the  elders  are  to  rule  hy  examjjh  and 
by  feeding  the  flock  of  Christ.  Whatever  may  be  the 
different  gifts  or  offices  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  no  mem- 
ber has  a  right  to  claim  the  pre-eminence  in  the  execution 
of  the  laws  of  Christ.  The  very  fact  that  the  ministers  or 
elders  are  chosen  or  ordained  by  the  churches,  proves  that 
they  are  inferior  in  point  of  authority  to  the  churches 
which  have  invested  them  with  the  ministerial  office.  The 
apostles  themselves  only  claimed  to  be  servants  of  the 
^  churches ;  for  Paul  said :  ''  We  preach  not 
ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord ;  and 
ourselves  your  servants  for  Jesus'  sake."  The  only  way 
to  become  great  in  the  kingdom  of  Jesus,  is  to  be  a  great 
servant.  Every  minister  is  equal  in  point  of  privilege 
with  every  other  member  of  the  church ;  but,  as  a  minis- 
ter in  his  official  capacity,  he  is  subject  to,  and  inferior  to 
the  church.  His  individual  acts  or  decisions  have  no 
more  binding  force  than  those  of  any  other  member.  It 
appears,  from  the  Scriptures,  that  all  the  true  members  of 
the  churches  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  have  equal  priv- 
ileges in  the  following  particulars :  First:  The  true  mem- 
bers of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  have  been  made  equally 
free  from  the  bondage  of  sin.  Jesus  said  :  "  If  the  Son, 
T  h  R-  '\P,  therefore,  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be 
free  indeed."  And  this  spiritual  freedom 
applies  to  all  classes,  male  and  female,  bond  and  free. 
Second:  They  are  all  equally  the  children  of  God;  the 
apostle  says :    "  For  ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  213 

faith  in  Jesus  Christ.     For  as  many  of  you    ^  ,  ^    o/.  on 

-  ,  ,  .         T    .  r^^      -  ^  CrClL  3  *.  26-29. 

as  liave  been  baptized  nito  Clirist,  have  put 
on  Christ.  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is 
neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female ; 
for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  if  ye  be  Christ's, 
then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the 
promise."  Thus  we  find,  that  all  true  members  of  the 
church  are  equally  the  children  of  God,  and  equal  heirs 
according  to  the  promise,  without  any  reference  whatever 
to  sex  or  position  in  society.  Third:  All  the  true  mem- 
bers of  the  churches  of  Christ  have  the  laws  of  God  writ- 
ten in  their  hearts,  and  therefore  know  Christ ;  for  it  is 

said :  "  They  shall  not  teach  every  man  his     ^^ ,   ^    , , 
.   ,  ,  *^ ,  1  .     1        -,  ^eb'  8 :  11. 

neighbor,  and  every  man  his  brother,  say- 
ing. Know  the   Lord :  for  all  shall  know  me,  from  the 
least  to  the  greatest.'' 

Some  object  to  servants  possessing  the  right  to  vote  in 
the  church,  on  the  ground  that  they  are  under  the  juris- 
diction of  others,  and  have  no  right  to  control  their  own 
actions.  This  is  an  unscriptural  inference,  from  the  fact 
that  no  human  laws  or  regulations  can  interfere  with  our 
relations  and  obligations  to  Jesus  Christ.  On  the  same 
principle  it  might  be  plead  that  slaves  have  no  right  to  be 
baptized  or  receive  the  Lord's  Supper !  While  it  is  true, 
that  Christianity  did  not  change  the  relations  of  master 
and  slave,  for  the  servant  was  commanded  to  abide  in  the 
service  of  his  master  under  the  strongest  obligation  of 
strict  obedience,  yet  no  earthly  master  ever  had  the  right 
to  control  his  servants  in  matters  of  religion,  or  interfere 
with  his  duties  in  the  worship  of  God.  Paul  is  very  de- 
cided upon  this  point ;  he  says :  '^  Let  ^  - 
every    man   abide   in    the    same    calling 


214  Equality  in  the  Kingdom: 

wliereiu  he  was  called.  Art  tliou  called  being  a  servant? 
Care  not  for  it :  but  if  thou  mayest  be  free,  use  it  rather. 
For  he  that  is  called  in  the  Lord,  being  a  servant,  is  the 
Lord^s  free  man  :  likewise  also  he  that  is  called  being  free, 
is  Christ's  servant.  Ye  are  bought  with  a  price ;  be  not 
ye  the  servants  of  men.  Brethren,  let  every  man,  wherein 
he  is  called,  therein  abide  with  God."  Thus  we  learn, 
that  the  servant  who  is  called  of  God,  "is  the  Lord's  free 
man,"  and  is  commanded  to  be  not  the  servant  of  men  in 
matters  of  religion ;  yet  he  is  required  to  abide  as  a  serv- 
ant to  his  master,  unless  he  may  be  free  lawfully.  And 
the  apostle  Paul  said  to  Philemon,  of  one  of  these  servants, 
Onesimus,  who  had  escaped  from  his  master  :  "  For  per- 

^^, .,  -,.  ,„  haps  he  therefore  departed  for  a  season, 
Fhilemon,  lo-17.       ,,  iii  •         ^  •        c 

that  thou  snouidst  receive   him  lorever; 

not  now  as  a  servant,  but  above  a  servant,  a  brother  be- 
loved, especially  to  me,  but  how  much  more  unto  thee, 
both  in  the  flesh,  and  in  the  Lord  ?  If  thou  count  me 
therefore  a  partner,  receive  him  as  myself."  Mark  you, 
Paul  sent  this  servant  to  his  master,  "  a  brother  beloved,'* 
to  be  received  as  Paul  himself.  Are  we  to  infer  from  this 
that  Onesimus  should  have  no  right  to  vote  in  the  church, 
because  he  was  not  his  own  master  in  worldly  aifairs? 
And,  if  so,  may  we  not  infer  that  Paul  himself,  while  a 
"  prisoner "  in  "  bonds,"  had  no  right  to  vote  in  the 
church,  because  he  was  not  a  free  man  in  worldly  mat- 
ters ?  The  truth  of  the  matter  is  this,  we  are  only  under 
obligation  to  obey  the  political  powers  that  be,  in  politi- 
cal affairs ;  and  whether  we  are  bond  or  free,  male  or  fe- 
male, when  those  powers  interfere  with  our  duty  to  God, 
we  should  say,  with  the  apostles  :  "We  ought 
to  obey  God  rather  than  men." 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  215 

Another  objection  is  urged  to  this  principle  of  equality 
in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  on  the  supposition  that  minors 
or  children,  subject  to  their  parents,  have  no  right  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  transaction  of  church  business.  This  ob- 
jection, like  the  former,  in  the  case  of  servants,  is  not 
based  upon  any  Scripture  prohibiting  them  from  the  trans- 
action of  business,  but  upon  the  fact  that  they,  like  slaves, 
are  under  the  control  of  others,  and  upon  their  supposed 
incompetency  to  perform  such  duties.  If  the  question  of 
eligibility  to  vote  in  the  transactions  of  church  business  is 
to  be  decided  by  one^s  majority,  or  freedom  from  his 
parents  according  to  political  laws,  then  in  some  gov- 
ernments persons  would  be  eligible  to  transact  church 
business  much  younger  than  in  others;  and  the  Jewish 
Christians  were  not  eligible  to  vote  in  church  affairs  until 
they  were  thirty  years  old ;  for  they  were  subject  to  their 
parents,  at  least,  until  that  age ;  and  worse  still,  it  would 
make  the  duty  of  some  members,  in  the  worship  of  God, 
depend  upon  the  caprice  and  even  injustice  of  human 
laws.  But  if  this  question  is  to  be  determined  by  the 
supposed  competency  or  incompetency  of  the  church  mem- 
bers, then  quite  a  number  of  the  male  members  who  are 
of  age  will  be  found,  at  least  in  the  estimation  of  our  wise 
brethren,  to  be  wholly  incompetent  to  vote  in  the  church. 
Then  who  will  decide  upon  the  competency  of  the  members 
to  transact  church  business  ?  Whenever  it  is  proved  that 
any  class  of  members  have  no  right  to  assist  in  the  trans- 
action of  church  business,  then  it  will  have  been  proved 
that  the  same  class  have  no  right  to  church  membersbij, 
a  I  all.  The  objection  which  is  urged  against  the  voting 
in  the  church  of  servants,  minors,  and  women  on  the 
ground  that  they  have  no  right  to  rule  over  masters,  pa- 


216  Equality  in  the  Kingdom: 

rents,  and  husbands,  does  not  touch  the  question ;  for  the 
same  argument  would  prove  that  masters,  fathers,  and  hus- 
bands have  no  right  to  vote  in  church,  because  they,  no 
more  than  the  others,  have  the  right  to  rule  over  servants, 
children  and  wives  in  matters  of  religion.  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  sole  Ruler  in  Zion.  In  the  execution  of  the  laws  of 
Christ  in  the  transaction  of  church  business,  no  church 
has  a  right  to  deviate  from  the  laws  of  Christ;  and  if  any 
action  of  a  church  comports  with  the  New  Testamant, 
then  it  is  not  the  church  ruling,  but  only  executing  an 
order  of  the  Ruler.  But  if  any  church  deviates  from  the 
laws  of  Christ  in  its  action,  that  action  is  null  and  void, 
and  binding  on  no  one. 

But  the  objection  which  opposes  the  participation  of 
women  in  the  business  transactions  of  the  churches  is  of 
more  serious  import,  from  the  fact  that  all  admit  that  there 
are  restrictions  regulating  the  duties  of  women  in  the  pub- 
lic meetings  of  the  churches.  But  to  what  particular  acts 
these  restrictions  apply,  is  the  point  in  question.     Paul 

said  to  the  Corinthians :  ^^  Let  vour  women 
1  Cor.  14:  34,35.     ,  .,  .,,,%.. 

keep  silence  m  the  churches;  lor  it  is  not 

permitted  unto  them  to  speak :  but  they  are  commanded  to 

be  under  obedience,  as  also  saith  the  law.     And  if  they 

will  learn  anything,  let  them  ask  their  husbands  at  home ; 

for  it  is  a  shame  for  w^omen  to  speak  in  the  church. ^^   "  Let 

_  ^     the  woman  learn  in  silence  with  all  sub- 

1  Tim.  2 :  11, 12.     .       .  ^ 

jection.     But   i   suner  not   a  woman   to 

teach,  nor  to  usurp  authority  over  the  man,  but  to  be  in 

silence.^^     This  strong  language  of  the  apostle  Paul  mi^st 

certainly  restricts  women  from  tJie    exercise   of  certain 

duties  or  privileges  belon^ng  to  men.      But  are  w^e  to 

infer  from  this,  that  women  are  debarred  from  the  exercise 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  217 

of  all  church  duties  aud  privileges?  I  think  not;  for  the 
same  apostle,  in  the  same  letter  to  the  same  church,  whero 
he  forbids  women  to  speak  in  church,  gives  the  following 
directions  relative  to  the  duties  of  women :  "  But  every 
woman  that  prayeth  or  prophesieth  with 
hei  head  uncovered,  dishonoreth  her  head : 
for  that  is  even  all  one  as  if  she  were  shaven.  For  if  the 
woman  be  not  covered,  let  her  also  be  shorn :  but  if  it  be 
a  shame  for  a  woman  to  be  shorn  or  shaven,  let  her 
be  covered.  For  a  man  indeed  ought  not  to  cover  his 
head,  forasmuch  as  he  is  the  image  and  glory  of  God : 
but  the  woman  is  the  glory  of  the  man.  *  *  ^  For  this 
cause  ought  the  woman  to  have  power  on  her  head,  be- 
cause of  the  angels.  *  ^  ^  Judge  in  yourselves :  is  it 
comely  that  a  woman  pray  unto  God  uncovered?  Doth 
not  even  nature  itself  teach  you,  that,  if  a  man  have  long 
hair,  it  is  a  shame  unto  him  ?  But  if  a  woman  have  long 
hair,  it  is. a  glory  to  her;  for  her  hair  is  given  her  for  a 
covering.^^  In  the  foregoing,  the  apostle  certainly  allows 
women  to  pray  and  prophesy  in  the  churches  on  certain 
conditions ;  for  it  can  not  be  reasonably  supposed  that  the 
apostle  was  giving  instruction  to  the  church  relative  to 
secret  prayer,  or  private  teaching.  The  woman  who  prays 
or  prophesies  in  church,  must  do  so  with  her  head  covered, 
or  vailed ;  while  the  man  praying  or  prophesying  in  the 
church,  should  do  so  with  his  head  uncovered.  I  suppose 
that  the  power  on  her  head  because  of  aTwels,  alludes  to  the 
token  of  submission  (which  was  her  vail  and  long  hair) 
to  her  husband;  and  because  of  the  angels,  I  understand 
to  mean  before,  or  in  the  presence  of,  the  angels.  We  also 
learn  that  ^^  Philip,  the  evangelist,  which  was 
one   of  the   seven,"  "had   four   daughters, 


218  Eqii'Jility  in  the  Kingdom. 

virgins,  which  did  prophesy."  Philip,  the  evangelist,  who 
was  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  permitted  his  four  virgin 
daughters  to  prophesy,  or  teach  publicly ;  and  Paul  allowed 
women  to  pray  and  prophesy,  with  their  heads  covered,  in 
the  church ;  and  yet  he  requires  women  not  to  speak,  but 
to  keep  silence  in  the  churches.  Does  Paul  contradict  him- 
self? Verily  not ;  therefore,  we  conclude  that  under  some 
circumstances  women  may  teach  and  pray  in  the  congre- 
gation, and  under  others  they  must  not.  And  I  suppose, 
from  the  connection,  that  the  women  are  required  not  to 
speak  in  church  controversies  on  litigated  questions. 
But  that  she  may  speak  or  teach  in  the  church,  under 
some  circumstances,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the 
apostle  gives  directions  as  to  the  manner  in  which  it-  should 
be  done.  But  the  question  Avhether  women  should,  or 
should  not,  teach  publicly  in  the  churches,  has  no  bearing 
whatever,  that  I  can  see,  upon  the  question  of  the  privi- 
lege of  women  to  aid  in  the  transaction  of  church  busi- 
ness  by  casting  their  lots,  or  voting.  Some  have  pressed 
this  objection  so  far  that  they  affirm  that  for  a  woman  to 
raise  her  hand  to  vote,  would  amount  to  speaking,  because 
"actions  speak  louder  than  words"!  But  this  objection 
would  lie  with  equal  force  against  the  duty  of  women 
confessing  their  faith  in  Christ,  being  baptized,  uniting 
with  the  church,  or  even  going  to  the  house  of  God  at  all. 
Again,  the  question  is  asked,  "  Should  not  religious  women 
be  willing  to  trust  their  husbands  and  fathers  to  transact 
the  business  of  the  church,  or  act  for  them  in  voting?" 
This  would  make  the  husbands  and  fathers  occupy  the 
place  of  god-fathers  for  their  wives  and  daughters.  This 
would  be  sponsorial  religion — worshiping  God  by  proxy. 
Then,  why  not  the  husband  and  father  be  baptized,  and 


May  Women  Vote  in  Ch^irch  ?  219 

receive  the  LorcVs  Supper^  and  perform  all  other  religious 
duties,  instead  of  his  wife  or  daughters  ?  The  worship  of 
God  requires  individual  and  personal  obedience.  No  one 
can  perform  a  religious  act  in  lieu  of  another. 

Another  objection  arises  on  the  score  of  delicacy — that 
some  questions  come  before  churches  unsuitable  for  ladies 
to  hear.  The  same  objection  is  urged  against  ladies  being 
immersed  ;  for  it  is  alleged  to  be  indecent.  Questions  of 
religious  duty  are  not  to  be  settled  by  the  fictitious  deli- 
cacy of  modern  times.  The  only  question  should  be, 
"  What  is  truth  ?  '^  in  matters  of  religion.  And  more  :  it 
is  not  always  absolutely  necessary  for  the  congregation  to 
hear  all  the  details  of  evidence  in  cases  of  church  trial. 
In  the  case  of  the  incestuous  man  in  the  church  at  Corinth, 
it  was  not  necessary  to  enter  into  all  the  details;  but  Paul 
announced  the  fact  of  the  man's  guilt,  and  the  church  ex- 
cluded him.  Not  many  worse  cases  than  this  are  likely 
to  occur  in  the  history  of  church  trials.  And  the  very 
same  objections  are  urged  sometimes  against  reading  the 
Scriptures, — that  the  Bible  contains  some  things  too  deli- 
cate for  them  to  read !  But  enough  of  this ;  it  is  absolutely 
certain  that  the  churches  of  Christ  are  constituted  the  de- 
positories of  truth,  and  are  under  obligation  to  act  in  the 
execution  of  the  laws  of  Christ;  but  women  are  recog- 
nized in  the  Scriptures  as  church  members ;  therefore^  wo- 
men are  authorized  to  participate  in  the  execution  of  the 
laws  of  Christ,  or  in  the  transaction  of  church  business. 

Fourth:  All  the  members  are  equal  as  to  the  term? 
of  their  reception  into  church  fellowship ;  they  are  all 
required  to  repent,  believe  in  Christ,  and  he  buried  with  him 
in  baptism,  in  order  to  church  membership. 

Fifth:    The  members  of  the  true  churches  of  Christ 


220  Equality  in  the  Kingdo'^n. 

are  equal  in  privilege  and  duty,  in  the  trial  and  exclu- 
sion of  disorderly  persons.  Jesus  himself  has  laid  down 
the  law  upon  this  point ;  for  he  says :  ^^  Moreover,  if  thy 
brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,  go  and 
tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  him 
alone  :  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy  brother. 
But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee  one  or 
two  more,  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses 
every  word  may  be  established.  And  if  he  shall  neglect 
to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  church :  but  if  he  neg- 
Ject  to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  a  heathen 
man  and  a  publican."  Mark :  the  command  is,  to  tell  the 
grievance  ^'unto  the  church,"  not  to  a  certain  class  of 
rulers;  and  the  offender  is  required  to  ^4iear  the  church," 
not  a  class  of  self-appointed  judges  in  the  church.  The 
church  is  composed  of  all  its  members  ;  and  as  there  are 
no  restrictions  for  or  against  any  class,  therefore  we  must 
come  to  the  irresistible  conclusion  that  the  church  means 
the  church,  the  local  assembly  of  which  the  offender  is  a 
member.  But  if  this  command  ever  comports  with  the 
new  views  of  church  government  now  being  advocated  by 
some  of  the  brethren,  it  will  have  to  be  reconstructed,  or 
translated  so  as  to  read  as  follows  :  "  And  if  he  shall  neg- 
lect to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  male  members  of  the 
church  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  :  but  if  he  shall  neg- 
lect to  hear  the  male  members  of  the  church  over  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man 
and  a  publican." 

That  it  was  the  duty  of  the  church,  not  a  part  only, 

to  act  in  the  exclusion  of  members,  is  seen  in  the  advice 

of  the  apostle  Paul  to  the  church  at  Corinth, 

'as   follows :    "  In   the    name   of  our   Lord 


May   Women  Vote  in  Church?  Tl\ 

Jesus  Christ,  when  ye  are  gathered  together,  and  my 
Spirit,  with  the  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  deliver 
such  a  one  unto  Satan  for  the  destruction  of  the  flesh,! 
that  the  spirit  may  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus. *  ^  ^  'i^  Purge  out  therefore  the  old  leaven  that  ye 
may  be  a  new  lump,  as  ye  are  unleavened.'^  Mark  the  fact, 
that  it  was  the  church,  not  a  part  of  it,  which  was  directed 
to  purge  out  the  old  leaven  by  delivering  the  offender  to 
Satan  —  viz:  excluding  him.  Sixth:  Church  members 
are  equal  in  their  privilege  and  duty  in  the  restoration  or 
reception  of  members.  Paul,  in  his  second  letter  to  the 
Corinthians,  advised  them  concerning  the  excluded  mem- 
ber, as  follows  :  '^  Sufficient  to  such  a  man  is 
this  punishment,  which  Avas  inflicted  of  many. 
So  that,  contrariwise,  ye  ought  rather  to  forgive  him,  and 
comfort  him,  lest  perhaps  such  a  one  should  be  swalloAved 
up  with  overmuch  sorrow.''  It  will  be  observed  that  his 
punishment  or  exclusion  "was  inflicted  of  many" — the 
church;  and  it  was  the  church  which  was  directed  to 
forgive  him."  Seventh  :  The  church  members  were  equal 
in  the  privilege  and  duty  in  choosing  their  officers.  Even 
in  the  election  of  an  apostle  to  fill  the  place  vacated  by 
Judas,  they,  the  disciples,  among  whom  were  women, 
"  Gave  forth  their  lots  :  and  the  lot  fell  upon  . 

Matthias;  and  he  was  numbered  with  the 
eleven  apostles."  Now,  if  all  the  disciples  in  the  congre- 
gation gave  forth  their  lots  in  a  matter  so  important  as 
the  election  of  an  apostle,  we  may  safely  conclude  that 
they  had  the  right  to  do  the  same  in  matters  of  less  mo- 
ment. Also,  in  the  election  of  deacons  the  members  were 
equal  in  privilege ;  for,  when  the  question  of  the  deacon- 
ship  was  introduced  by  the  apostles,  it  is  written  that, 


222  Equality  in  the  Kingdom. 

'^The  saying  pleased  the  whole  multitude:  and  they 
chose  Stephen,  a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  Philip,  and  Prochorus,  and  Xicanor,  and  Timon,  and 
Parmeuas,  and  Nicholas,  a  proselyte  of  Antioch/^  Does 
the  whole  multitude  who  choose  the  deacons,  only  mean 
the  male  members  over  thirty  years  of  age?  Eighth: 
The  members  of  the  apostolic  churches  were  equal  in 
privilege  and  duty  in  sending  out  delegates  or  messen- 
gers to  promote  the  interests  of  a  cause;  the  church  at 
Jerusalem  sent  delegates  to  xVntioch  to  settle  the  dispute 
about  circumcision.     It  is  recorded  thus  :  ''  Then  pleased 

it  the  apostles  and  elders,  with  the  whole 
Ads  15:   22.        ,         ,      ^  ,     ,  ..     ,     . 

cnurcn,  to  send  chosen   men   oi   their  own 

company  to  Antioch,  with  Paul  and  Barnabas :  namely, 

Judas  surnamed  Barsabas,  and  Silas,  chief  men  among 

the   brethren."     "  The  whole   church "   acted  with   the 

apostles  and  elders  in  choosing  and  sending  messengers  to 

Antioch.    And  the  same  was  true  in  sending  out  mission- 

aries.    Paul  says :  "  Whether  any  do  inquire 

*  "  '     of  Titus,  he  is  my  partner  and  fellow-helper 

concerning  you ;  or  our  brethren  be  inquired  of,  they  are 

the  messengers  of  the  churches,  and  the  glory  of  Christ." 

These  missionaries  were  not  messengers  of  a  privileged 

class  in  the  churches,  but  of  the  churches  which  sent  them 

out.     It  is  now  fully  settled  that  the  memership  in  the 

churches  of  Christ  are  privileged  to  participate  in  all 

church  transactions.     The  doings  of  a  certain  class  in  a 

church  can  not  properly  be  called  church  actions. 


(Baptists  for  Liberty  of  Conscience.        223 


Section  II. — Peculiarity  fifth  identified  with 

PRESENT   BAPTIST   DOCTRINE. 

The  following  sentiment,  as  quoted  from  the  Christian 
Review,  by  Joseph  Belcher,  is  eminently  true  :  "  Religious 
liberty  is  a  Baptist  watch-word,  a  kind  of  talisman,  which 
operates  like  a  charm,  and  nerves  every  man  for  action.'' 
Whatever  shades  of  difference  in  opinion  may  have  pre- 
vailed among  Baptists  on  minor  questions,  they  have  ever 
been  perfectly  agreed  in  this  peculiarity.  They  claim  no 
King,  Lord,  or  Ruler,  over  the  conscience,  except  Jesus 
Christ.  Baptist  sentiments  on  this  point  are  clearly  ex- 
pressed in  the  Religious  Encyclopedia,  as  follows  :  "  Hence, 

also,  they  reject  all  claims  of  the  civil  mag- 

.  ,      ,     ,  1     X    •    -1  •      •    T  X-         xi         1      Relict ious  Encyc, 

istrate  to  any  but  civil  lurisdiction  ;  thouMi        ^-;_  -^   ' 

.  .    .  P-  188- 

willing  and  peaceful  subjects  to  civil  au- 
thority, where  the  rights  of  conscience  are  not  involved. 
Hence,  in  every  age,  their  strong  attachment  to  liberty, 
especially  to  religious  liberty;  these  principles  they  were 
the  first  to  proclaim,  and  the  first  also  to  exemplify.  Their 
principles  have  subjected  them  to  persecution  from  age  to 
age,  and  to  such  principles  they  have  counted  it  a  glory 
to  be  martyrs.  Though  their  own  blood  has  flow^n  freely, 
they  have  never  shed  the  blood  of  others.  Indeed,  civil 
persecution  of  any  kind,  on  their  principles,  is  impossible.'^ 
Not  only  in  this  country,  but  throughout  the  world,  Bap- 
lists  have  borne  unflinching  testimony  to  this  doctrine  of 
equality  of  privilege  in  the  worship  of  God.  In  the  ad- 
vertisement to  the  Tracts  on  Liberty  of  Conscience,  pub- 
lished by  the  Hanserd  Knolly's  Society, 
it  is  stated  that :  "  In  the  prospectus  of  the  ^f^^  ^^^^  ^  '  ^-^ 
Hanserd  Knolly's  Society,  it  was  stated 


224  Equality  in  the  Kingdom. 

that  ^  to  the  Baptists  belong  the  honor  of  first  asserting 
in  this  land,  and  of  establishing  on  the  immutable  basis 
of  just  argument  and  Scripture  rule,  the  right  of  every 
man  to  worship  God  as  conscience  dictates,  in  submission 
only  to  divine  command/  ^^  And,  on  the  same  subject. 
Elder  J.  R.  Graves  expresses  himself  in  the  standing  col- 
umn of  his  paper,  as  follows  :  "  All  standard  historians 
unanimously  affirm  that  the  government  of  the  apostolic 
churches  Avas  purely  democratiG  (that  is,  vested  in  the 
people  or  membership),  and  all  the  churches  independent 
republics.  All  religious  societies  have  legislative  powers, 
and  clerical  or  aristocratical  governments  (that  is,  in  the 
hands  of  the  clergy  or  a  few  as  a  session,)  are  anti-scrip- 
tural and  anti-republican — tyrannies  which  no  Christian 
can  lawfully  countenance,  or  republican  freeman  ought  to 
support,"  etc. 

Again  :  Mr.  Graves,  in  the  standing  column  of  the  Bap- 
tist, says :  "  That  a  body  of  immersed  believers  is  the 
highest  ecclesiastical  authority  in  the  world,  and  the  only 
tribunal  for  the  trial  of  cases  of  discipline ;  that  the  acts 
of  a  church  are  of  superior  binding  force  over  those  of  an 
association,  convention,  council,  or  presbytery ;  and  no 
association  or  convention  can  impose  a  moral  obligation 
upon  the  constituent  parts  composing  them." 

Mr.  Orchard,  the  Baptist  historian,  says  of  the  Baptists : 

"  They  are  a  people  very  fond  of  religious 
j^'    27.-*'  ^^  '       liberty,  and  very  unwilling  to  be  brought 

under  the  bondage  of  the  judgment  of 
any."  This  fondness  for  religious  liberty  among  Baptists 
has  generally  inclined  them  to  favor  a  republican  form  of 
government  in  the  state.  Such  was  the  force  of  Baptist 
influence  brought  to  bear  in  the  forma ti(jn  of  the  Ameri- 


(Baptists  for  Liberty  of  Conscience.        225 


can  government,  that  the  Baptist  doctrine  of  "  soul  liberty  ^' 
was  eustamped  upon  the  government  in  such  a  manner 
that  both  religious  and  political  liberty  has  been  secured 
to  a  continent  through  Baptist  instrumentality.  We  do 
not  mean  to  teach  that  none  except  Baptists  were  in  favor 
of  these  glorious  principles.  Many  others  embraced  the 
same  sentiments  with  the  Baptists,  and  stood  firm  in  their 
support  against  every  foe;  but  it  is  a  historic  fact  that  Bap- 
tists have  ever  understood  and  advocated  the  doctrine  of 
liberty  of  conscience;  and  it  is  certain  that  they  took  the 
lead,  both  in  England  and  America,  in  the  cause  of  free- 
dom. The  German  philosopher,  Gervinus,  speaking  of 
the  Baptist  principles  of  liberty  advocated  by  Roger  Wil- 
liams and  others  in  Bhode  Island  colony,  says :  "  In  ac- 
cordance with  these  principles,  Boger 
Williams  insisted,  in  Massachusetts,  upon  I^eligious  Dcnom. 
,,       .  ,•       p       1  /■  •  ,   p.  153;   quoted  by 

allowing  entire  ireedom  oi  conscience,  and  ^^i^j^^^ 

upon  entire  separation  of  the  church  and 
state.  But  he  was  obliged  to  flee,  and  in  1636  he  formed 
in  Rhode  Island  a  small  and  new  society,  in  which  per- 
fect freedom  in  matters  of  faith  was  allowed,  and  in  which 
the  majority  ruled  in  all  civil  affairs.  Here,  in  a  little 
State,  the  fundamental  principles  of  political  and  ecclesi- 
astical liberty  practically  prevailed,  before  they  were  even 
taught  in  any  of  the  schools  of  philosophy  in  Europe.  At 
that  time  people  predicted  only  a  short  existence  for  these 
democratical  experiments — universal  suffrage,  universal 
eligibility  to  office,  the  annual  change  of  rulers,  perfect 
religious  freedom — the  Miltonian  doctrines  of  schisms. 
But  not  only  have  these  ideas  and  these  forms  of  govern- 
ment maintained  themselves  here,  but  precisely  from  this 
little  State  have  they  extended  themselves  throughout  the 


226  Equality  in  the  Kingdom. 

United  States.  They  have  conquered  the  aristocratic 
tendencies  in  Carolina  and  New  York,  the  High  Church 
in  Virginia,  the  Theocracy  in  Massachusetts,  and  the  Mon- 
archy in  all  America.  They  have  given  laws  to  a  conti- 
nent, and,  formidable  through  their  moral  influence,  they 
lie  at  the  bottom  of  all  the  democratie  movements  which  ai-e 
now  shaking  the  nations  of  Europe.'^  Though  Roger  Wil- 
liams was  not  fully  a  Baptist,  he  advocated  the  Baptist  doc- 
trine of  "soul  liberty,'^  for  which  he  was  persecuted  and 
banished  from  Massachusetts.  As  soon  as  he  began  to  pro- 
claim this  doctrine,  he  was  charged  with  the  heresy  of  the 
Anabaptists.  While  it  is  true,  as  stated  by  Gervinus, 
that  the  principles  of  religious  and  civil  liberty  were  es- 
tablished in  E-hode  Island  '^before  they  were  taught  in 
any  of  the  schools  of  philosophy  in  Europe,^^  it  is  also  true 
that  the  Baptists  of  England  had  suffered,  long  prior  to 
the  time  of  Williams,  for  the  advocacy  of  the  same  prin- 
ciples. It  is  an  error  into  which  some  have  fallen,  who 
suppose  that  Williams  was  the  first  to  advocate  the  doc- 
trine of  entire  freedom  of  conscience  in  matters  of  religion. 
In  this  quotation  we  have  the  fact  brought  out  that  these 
Baptist  principles  "have  given  laws  to  a  continent^'^  and 
are  "shaking  the  nations  of  Europe^'  by  their  moral pjower. 
The  love  of  religious  and  civil  liberty  induced  the  early 
Baptists  of  this  country  to  side  with  Washington  in  the 
struggle  for  American  independence.  President  Wash- 
ington acknowledged  the  services  of  the  Baptists  in  Ihe 
time  of  the  Revolution  of  Seventy-six;  for,  in  answer  to 
the  letter  of  the  "Virginia  Baptists,  congratulating  him 
on  his  honors,  he  replied  that  the  deuom- 
leigious    enom.,  jn^^^Qj^  ^  jjjjyg  ]^(sqii  throughout  America 

uniformly,  and  almost  unanimously,  the 


baptists  for  Liberty  of  Conscience.        227 

firm  friends  of  civil  liberty,  and  the  persevering  promoters 
of  the  glorious  Eevoliitiou/  ^'  This  is  the  testimony  of 
the  renowned  George  Washington,  that  the  Baptists  in  the 
revolutionary  struggle  were  on  the  side  of  liberty.  And 
this  has  been  true  of  Baptists  in  all  ages.  Up  to  the  time 
of  the  achievement  of  American  liberty,  as  the  result  of 
the  Revolution,  State  religion  was  established  in  the  most 
of  the  colonies  except  Rhode  Island.  Baptists  wxre  taxed, 
imprisoned,  and  whipped,  because  of  their  advocacy  of  re- 
ligious liberty,  in  preaching  contrary  to  the  laws  regulating 
religion.  But,  from  the  very  first,  they  made  deterinined 
efforts  to  secure  full  liberty  to  worship  God  according  to 
the  dictates  of  conscience.  They  did  not  merely  ask  this 
liberty  for  themselves,  but  they  plead  for  perfect  religious 
liberty  to  all.  In  the  first  Continental  Congress,  which 
was  held  in  1774,  in  Philadelphia,  the  Baptists  sent  their 
messengers  to  memorialize  Congress  by  beseeching  them 
to  "secure  at  once  the  recognition  of  the  inallenahle  7'ights 
of  conscience.'^  And  though  nothing  could  then  be  accom- 
plished, yet,  at  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts, 
which  met  in  the  same  year,  the  Baptists  laid  in  their 
grievances  through  Isaac  Backus ;  and  they  succeeded  in 
securing  the  following  resolution,  as  given  by  Mr.  Curtis : 

"In  Provincial  Congress,  December  9,  1774. 

"  On  reading  the  memorial  of  Rev.  Isaac 
Backus,  agent  of  the  Baptist  churches  in    ^y'^'''  ^^^^' 
this  government, 

"  Resolved,  That  the  establishment  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  to  each  denomination  in  the  province,  is  the  sincere 
vvisli  of  this  Congress;  but  being,  by  no  means,  vested  with 
powers  of  civil  government,  whereby  they  can  redress  the 


228  Equality  in  the  Kingdom. 

grievances  of  any  person  whatever,  they,  therefore,  recom- 
mend to  the  Baptist  churches,  that  when  a  general  assem- 
bly shall  be  convened  in  this  colony,  they  lay  the  real 
grievances  of  said  churches  before  the  same ;  when  and 
where  their  petition  Avill  most  certainly  meet  with  all  that 
attention  due  to  the  memorial  of  a  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians so  well  disposed  to  the  public  weal  of  their  country. 
"  By  order  of  the  Congress. 

"John  Hancock,  President.'' 

Accordingly,  the  Baptists  memorialized  the  next  ses- 
sion of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  (1775).  In  doing 
so,  they  said :  "  Our  real  grievances  are,  that  we,  as  well 
as  our  fathers,  have,  from  time  to  time,  been  taxed,  on 
religious  accounts,  where  we  were  not  represented,  and  our 
causes  have  been  tried  by  interested  judges.  For  a  civil 
Legislature  to  impose  religious  taxes,  is,  we  conceive,  a 
poivcr  which  their  constituents  never  had  to  give,  and, 
therefore,  going  entirely  out  of  their  jurisdiction,  "We  are 
persuaded  that  an  entire  freedom  from  being  taxed  by 
civil  rulers  to  religious  worship,  is  not  a  mere  favor  from 
any  man  or  men  in  the  world,  but  a  right  and  property 
granted  us  by  God,  who  commands  us  to  stand  fast  in  it. 
We  should  wrong  our  consciences  by  allowing  that  power 
to  men  which  we  believe  belongs  only  to  God.'' 

Although  but  little  Avas  accomplished  at  this  time,  the 
Baptists  continued  to  plead  the  cause  of  liberty  of  con- 
science before  the  various  Legislatures  and  before  Con- 
gress, until  religious  liberty  was  fully  established  through- 
out the  United  States.  Members  of  other  denominations 
have,  more  or  less,  advocated  religious  liberty  since  it 
became  popular  in  this  country;  but  when  liberty  of  con- 


(Baptists  for  Liberty  of  Conscience.        229 

science  was  unpopular,  and  its  adherents  Avcre  called  often 
to  suffer  for  their  views,  there  was  found  no  denomination 
except  the  Baptists  to  stand  up  boldly  in  favor  of  this 
boon  of  Heaven — religious  liberty.  True,  some  individ- 
uals among  other  parties  arose  above  their  systems,  and 
advocated  a  partial  liberty  of  conscience,  or  a  toleration. 
But  Baptists  have  understood  the  principle  of  religious 
liberty  from  the  first,  because  this  doctrine  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  the  Baptist  system.  It  is  an  interesting  fact 
that  the  true  idea  of  a  free  constitution  for  the  American 
Government  was  derived  from  the  Baptists.  We  have 
the  following  account  of  the  impressions  made  on  the  mind 
of  President  Jefferson,  by  attending  a  Baptist  church: 
*'  Many  of  the  Baptists  are  of  opinion  that 
their  system  oi  church   government  had        ^^^  ' 

somewhat  to  do  with  the  foundation  of 
the  Constitution  of  these  United  States ;  and  tell  us  that 
the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Fishback,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  a  few 
years  since,  made  the  following  statement,  which  he  re- 
ceived from  the  late  Bev.  Andrew  Tribble,  who  died  at 
about  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  Mr.  Tribble  was 
pastor  of  a  small  Baptist  church,  near  Mr.  Jefferson's  res- 
idence, in  the  State  of  Virginia,  eight  or  ten  years  before 
the  American  Bevolution.  Mr.  Jefferson  attended  the 
meetings  of  the  church  for  several  months  in  succession, 
and;  after  one  of  them,  asked  the  Avorthy  pastor  to  go 
home  and  dine  with  him,  with  which  request  he  complied. 
Mr.  Tribble  asked  Mr.  Jefferson  how  he  was  pleased 
with  their  church  government.  Mr.  Jefferson  replied, 
that  its  propriety  had  struck  him  with  great  force,  and 
had  greatly  interested  him ;  adding,  that  he  considered  it 
the  only  form  of  pure  democracy  which  then  existed  in 


Equality  in  the  Kingdom. 


the  world,  and  had  concluded  that  it  would  be  the  best 
plan  of  government  for  the  American  colonies.  This  was 
several  years  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence." 
From  this  it  appears  that  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  framer  of  the 
Constitution,  gathered  his  idea  of  ^^pure  democracy"  from 
a  Baptist  church.  To  my  mind,  it  is  evident  that  the 
doctrine  of  religious  liberty,  incorporated  in  the  American 
Constitution  and  Government,  is  attributable,  under  God, 
to  Baptist  influence.  It  is  no  idle  dream  to  announce,  that 
Baptist  principles  have  given  liberty  to  a  continent.  Even 
when  Baptists  have  had  the  opportunity  of  pecuniary  sup- 
port from  the  state,  they  have  firmly  rejected  it  as  con- 
trary to  their  fundamental  principles  of  religious  liberty. 
This  is  illustrated  by  the  conduct  of  the  Georgia  Baptists, 

reported  as  follows:  "In  February,  1785, 
eigious  enom.,  ^  ^  writer  in  the  third  volume  of  the 
p.  Ibo.  -^ 

CJunstian  Review,  ^A  law  for  the  estab- 
lishment and  support  of  religion,  was  passed  in  Georgia, 
through  the  influence  of  the  Episcopalians.  It  embraced 
all  denominations,  and  gave  all  equal  privileges ;  but  in 
May,  the  Baptists  remonstrated  against  it — sent  two  mes- 
sengers to  the  Legislature,  and  in  the  next  session  it  was 
repealed.  In  both  ministers  and  members,  they  were  much 
more  numerous  than  any  other  denomination.  Their 
preachers  might  have  occupied  every  neighborhood,  and 
lived  upon  the  public  treasury ;  but,  no ;  they  knew  that 
Christ's  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world;  and  believed  that 
any  dependence  on  the  civil  power  for  its  support,  tends 
to  corrupt  the  purity  and  pristine  loveliness  of  religion. 
They,  therefore,  preferred  to  pine  in  poverty,  as  many  of 
them  did,  and  prevent  an  unholy  marriage  between  the 
Church  of  Christ  and  the  civil  authoritv.     The  overthrow 


(Baptists  for  Liberty  of  Conscieiice.        231 

of  the  above-named  odious  laws  is  to  be  attributed  to  tlieir 
unremitting  efforts ;  they  generally  struck  the  first  blow, 
and  thus  inspired  other  sects  with  their  own  intrepidity. 
If  is  owing  to  their  sentiments,  chiefly,  as  the  friends  of 
religious  liberty,  that  no  law  abridging  the  freedom  of 
thought  or  opinion  touching  religious  worship,  is  now  in 
force  to  disgrace  our  statute  books.  It  is  not  here  asserted 
that,  but  for  their  efforts,  a  system  of  persecution,  cruel 
and  relentless  as  that  of  Mary  of  England,  or  Catharine 
de  Medici  of  France,  would  have  obtained  in  these  United 
States ;  but  is  asserted  that  the  Baptists  have  successfully 
propagated  their  sentiments  on  the  subject  of  religious  lib- 
erty, at  the  cost  of  suffering  in  property,  in  person,  in  limb, 
and  in  life.  Let  the  sacrifice  be  ever  so  great,  they  have 
always  freely  made  it,  in  testimony  of  their  indignation 
against  laws  which  would  fetter  the  conscience.  Their  op- 
position to  tyranny  was  implacable,  and  it  mattered  not 
whether  the  intention  was  to  tax  the  people  without  rep- 
resentation, or  to  give  to  the  civil  magistrate  authority  to 
settle  religious  questions  by  the  sword.  In  either  case,  it 
met  in  every  Baptist  an  irreconcilable  foe.'  " 

These  expressions,  quoted  from  the  Beligious  Denomi- 
nations, are  but  the  sentiments  of  all  true  Baptists  through- 
out the  world.  The  ignorance  of  those  who  represent  the 
Baptist  church  government  as  oppressive,  or  opposed  to 
religious  and  civil  freedom,  is  to  be  pitied.  The  Baptists 
stand  alone  in  giving  the  liberty  to  every  church  member 
to  act  in  the  transaction  of  church  duties.  None  has  the 
right  to  assume  the  pre-eminence  over  his  brethren.  Con- 
trasting the  Baptist  principles  with  others.  Chevalier 
Bunsen  remarks:  "How  little  the  Na-  Beligious Denom., 
tional   churches  of   the  seventeenth  cen-  p.  190. 


232  Equality  in  the  Kingdom. 

tiiry  can  make  head  against  the  onsets  of  the  Baptists, 
in  countries  where  a  great  and  free  religious  move- 
ment exists,  is  evinced  by  the  fact,  that,  among  serious 
Christians  of  the  English  race  in  the  United  States,  the 
Baptist  or  Congregational  preachers  are  on  the  increase 
more  than  any  other  sect,  so  that  they  form  already  the 
most  numerous  and  most  progressive  community/^  Full 
enough  has  been  presented  to  show  that  the  present  Bap- 
tists possess  this  Bible  peculiarity  of  religious  equality  in 
the  churches  of  Jesus  Christ. 


(Baptist  Succession.  2:33 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

PECULIARITY  SIXTH— RESTRICTED  COMMUNION. 

1.  Objectio:n^s  to  Restricted  Communion  answered. 

2.  Baptist    Peculiarity    Sixth  —  Restricted     Communioit 

TESTED   BY   THE  BiBLE. 

8.  Concessions  to  Baptist  views  of  Communion. 
4.  Peculiarity  Sixth — Communion  in  the  Kingdom   iden- 
tified WITH  present  Baptist  teaching. 

Section  I. —  Objection  to  restricted   communion 

ANSAVERED. 

This  peculiarity  in  Baptist  faith  and  practice  has  called 
down  upon  them  the  wrath  of  the  world.  It  is  at  present, 
to  a  large  extent,  the  reproach  of  the  Cross  of  Christ. 
Baptists  stand  out  against  the  entire  religious  world,  in 
oiGPering  the  Lord's  Sapper  to  those  only  who  have  pro- 
fessed regeneration,  and  who  have  been  buried  with  Christ 
in  baptism,  having  fellowship  in  a  church  of  Jesus  Christ. 
This  Baptist  "  close  communion  ^'  is  the  great  bugbear  by 
which  our  enemies,  who  profess  so  much  charity  for  us, 
try  to  make  us  odious  in  the  sight  of  the  world.  Several 
objeclions  are  urged  against  our  practice. 

First:    We  must  not  judge.     AVe  are,  of    Baptists  not  to 

late,  informed  that,  as  Baptists,  we  have  no   j'^dge, 

right  to  judge  who  are  qualified  to  approach  the  Lord's 

table.     We  are  often  told,  by  open   communionists,   to 

"Judo-e  not  that  ye  be  not  iudg-ed  ;'^  and, 

.  J      i=>      }  »     Matt   7'   1. 

at  the  same  time,  they  feel  themselves  per- 


234  (Restricted  Communion. 

fectly  competent  to  ^^  judge  '^  or  decide  who  ought  to  ap- 
proach the  Lord's  table.     They  themselves  are  perfectly 
qualified  to  judge  in  this  matter^  but  Baptists  must  not 
judge  !     It  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  while  it  is  true  that 
we    are  forbidden  by  the  Savior  to  judge  the  hearts  or 
motives  of  our  brethren,  we  are  authorized,  by  the  same 
Word  of  God,  to  "  know  them  by  their  fruits,^ 
and   thus   decide   or  judge  who   are  church 
-nembers.     Indeed,  Ave  have  the  authority  laid  down  by 
the  apostle,  by  which  we  are  required  to  judge  with  whom 
we  should  eat  at  the  Lord's  table.     Here  is  the  author- 
ity :    ^'  But  now  I  have  written  unto  you 
1  Cor.  5:  11-13.        ^  ,  .^  .i     .    . 

not  to  keep  company,  it  any  man  that  is 

called  a  brother  be  a  fornicator,  or  covetous,  or  an  idola- 
ter, or  a  railer,  or  a  drunkard,  or  an  extortioner;  w^ith 
such  a  one  no  not  to  eat.  For  what  have  I  to  do  to  judge 
them  also  that  are  without?  do  not  ye  judge  them  that 
are  within?  But  them  that  are  without  God  judgeth. 
Therefore  put  away  from  among  yourselves  that  wicked 
person.''  Here  is  the  authority  of  Pleaven,  to  ^' judge 
them  that  are  w^ithin "  the  church,  or  decide  who  are 
members  of  the  church,  and  qualified  for  the  Supper. 
But  if  the  argument  of  our  opponents  is  correct,  that  all 
must  eat  with  us  at  the  Lord's  table  who  think  themselves 
worthy,  then  we  must  eat  with  all  those  classes  of  persons 
with  whom  the  apostle  has  said,  "  no  not  to  eat" !  In  fact, 
the  very  denominations  who  are  so  vociferous  in  their 
condemnation  of  the  Baptists  for  deciding  whom  they 
think  qualified  to  approach  the  Lord's  table,  are  guilty 
of  the  same  thing;  they  all  decide  or  "judge"  whom  they 
deem  qualified  to  approach  the  table.     And  again :   in 


Objections  to  Restricted  Communion.      235 

condemnation  of  themselves  our  opponents  undertake  to 

use  the  expression  of  the  apostle  against  us  where  he  says : 

"Let  a  man    examine  himself,  and  so  let    ^  ^     ,^     ^^ 
1  •  r>     1         1  T  1     1   •    T        p     1     .     1  Cor.  11:  28. 

nim  eat  oi  that  bread,  and   driniv:   oi   that 

cup.^^  Many  persons  quote  this  language  in  order  to  con- 
demn the  Baptrst  practice,  when,  at  the  same  time,  they 
are  totally  ignorant  of  the  connection  in  which  it  stands, 
and  the  characters  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  Upon  ex- 
amination it  will  be  found  that  this  injunction  was  not 
given  to  the  unbaptized,  who  were  not  church  members ; 
but  to  "the  Church  of  God  which  is  at 
Corinth.'^  This  was  instruction  given  to 
those  who  were  actual  members  of  a  Gospel  church,  and 
not  to  them  that  are  Avithout,  or  members  of  some  modern 
sect.  Get  up  by  human  ingenuity.  This  instruction,  for 
church  members  to  examine  themselves,  is  the  same  that 
is  given  by  every  Baptist  minister  who  administers  the 
Lord^s  Supper.  They  exhort  every  member  of  the  church 
to  examine  himself  in  the  light  of  the  Word  of  God,  with 
humble  prayer-  and  supplication  to  God,  to  enable  him  to 
partake  of  the  elements  with  due  solemnity,  in  memory  of 
a  dying  Savior.     The  fault  of  some  of  these  Corinthians 

was  that:   "In  eatino;  every  one  taketh  be- 

1  Cor.  11 :  21. 
fore  other  his  own  supper :  and  one  is  hungry, 

and  another  is  drunken.^^  And  when  the  apostle  had 
sharply  rebuked  them  for  their  want  of  reverence  in  par- 
taking of  the  Supper,  he  then  exhorted  them — the  actual 
church  members — to  examine  themselves^  and  so  eat  of  that 
bread  and  drink  of  that  cup.  The  practice  of  our  oppo- 
nents, iu  the  misapplication  of  this  text,  exhibits  the  gross- 
ness  of  the  perversion  of  the  truth  to  which  they  continu- 
ally resort  in  order  to  bring  reproach  upon  us. 


236  (Restricted  Communion. 

Second:    A  want  of  Jove.     Another  objection  urged  by 

our  oj^ponents  against  our  practice  in  communion,  is,  iliai 

we  exliibit  a  ivafit  of  charity  or  love  toivard 

ap  IS  ac '  ^^^,  bretJiren  whom  ice  admit  to  be  pious  per- 
chanty.  ^  . 

sons.      The  word  charity  has  been  pressed 

into  service  in  order  to  give  currency  to  all  the  errors 

which  have  inundated  the  world  for  the  last  fifteen  cen- 

^  ^      turics.    But  it  is  a  truth,  tJiat  though  "char- 

1  Fetcr  4:8..  , 

itj  shall  cover  a  multitude  of  sins,'^  or  faults, 

it  "rejoiceth  not  in  inifjuity,  but  rejoiceth 
in  the  truth."  We  arc  taught  by  this,  that 
our  charity  or  love  for  men  should  not  cause  us  to  violate 
the  truth  of  God ;  for  if  we  love  Jesus  Christ,  we  must 
keep  his  commandments  irrespective  of  the  views,  feelings, 
prejudices,  or  traditions  of  men. 

And  if  our  love  or  charity  for  men  should  induce  us  to 
violate  the  laws  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  would  be  the  case 
were  we  to  commune  with  thoric  wdio  are  neither  baptized 
nor  members  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  it  would  be  posi- 
tive evidence  that  we  are  not  worthy  of  him*;  for  ''  he  that 

^^    ^„     loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me,  is  not 
Matt.  10 :   37.  ,  ^  -,    i         i         i  i 

worthy  oi   me :  and  he  that  loveth  son  or 

daughter  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me."  It  appears 
that  many  persons  who  profess  to  be  Christians,  exhibit 
more  anxiety  to  show  love  to  their  fellow-men  than  to 
Jesus  Christ,  by  the  faithful  performance  of  his  command- 
ments. If  necessary  to  follow  Christ,  we  are  commanded 
fo  forsake  our  father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children, 
end  brethren,  and  sisters ;  yea,  and  our  own  life  also,  or 
we  can  not  be  Jiis  disciples.  It  is  evident  that  we  exhibit 
more  love  to  our  erring  brethren  by  refusing  to  participate 
in  their  errors,  than  if  we  v\^ere  to  indorse  their  errors  by 


.  Objections  to  (Restricted  Comnuinion.      237 

communing  with  them  ;  for,  by  the  participation  with  them 
of  a  church  ordinance,  we  thereby  indorse  their  church 
character,  and.  deceive  them  in  regard  to  the  kingdom  of 
Christ ;  and  in  this  way  we  would  not  only  be  partaking 
of  their  sins,  but  we  would  do  them  a  permanent  injury 
by  confirming  them  in  error. 

This  objection  is  wdiolly  based  on  a  misconception  of 
the  real  design  of  the  Lord^s  Supper.  ^\^hen  our  oppo- 
nents charge  us  with  the  want  of  love  toward  them  by  not 
communing  with  them,  they  show  by  that  act  that  they  re- 
gard the  Lord's  Supper  as  a  kind  of  love-feast  .to  show 
love  for  one  another !  They  partake  of  the  Supper  to  show 
love  for  one  another,  instead  of  alone  in  memory  of  a  dying 
Savior.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  husband  to  love  his  wife ; 
must  he  commune  with  her  at  the  Lord's  table,  irre- 
spective of  any  preparation  on  her  part  to  show  that  love ! 
It  is  the  duty  of  parents  to  love  their  children;  must 
they  commune  with  them  at  the  Lord's  table  to  show  their 
love  to  ,them !  AYe  are  commanded  by  Jesus  Christ  to 
love  our  enemies  who  despitefally  use  and  persecute  us,  as 
other  denominations  generally  have  done  to  Baptists; 
must  we  commune  with  them  to  show  our  love  for  them ! ! 
While  we  should  love  all  Pedobaptists,  whether  they  are 
friends  or  enemies — and  I  freely  admit  that  there  are  many 
pious  persons  among  them — yet  we  must  love  our  Savior 
more ;  and,  therefore,  we  must  not  break  the  least  of  all 
his  commandments  and  teach  others  to  do  so  by  commun- 
ing with  them  when  we  are  confident  that  they  have  not 
yielded  obedience  to  the  terms  of  admission  to  the  Supper. 
All  who  make  this  objection  against  Baptists,  are  either 
ignorant  of  the  true  design  of  the  Supper,  or  they  make 
an  argument  which  they  knoAV  to  be  without  foundation. 


238  Restricted  Cov.iinunion. 

The  Methodist   Discipline   says :     "  The  Supper  of  the 
Lord  is  not  only  a  sign  of  the  love  that 
i.p  ine  J     o  ,  Qi^pigj-^Q^g   ought  to  have   among  them- 
selves one  to  another,  but  rather  is  a  sacra- 
ment of  our  redemption  by  Christ's  death. '^     Even  if 
mixed  communion  were  Scriptural,  we  could  not  consist- 
ently commune  with  the   ^lethodists,  from   the   fact,  as 
shown  by  the  Discipline,  they  have  reduced  it  in  part  to  a 
mere  love-feast — a  sign  of  love  for  one  another. 

Tliird :  How  can  Vv^e  commune  in  heaven  ?  But  again 
the  question  is  asked,  with  an  air  of  triumph:  ^^ If  we  can 

^,       .    ^^  not  commune  together  here  on  earth,  how 

Com.  in  Heaven.  . 

can   we  commune   together   in  heaven  f 

And  this  is  thought  by  some  to  be  argument.  But  we 
answer,  that  the  Lord's  Supper  ls  an  institution  belonging 
to  the  churches  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth,  and 
it  is  only  to  be  observed  until  Christ  comes  again ;  and, 
therefore,  will  not  be  observed  in  heaven  at  all  by  any 
one.  Such  an  objection  only  betrays  the  extreme  igno- 
rance of  him  who  makes  it,  in  supposing  that  the  Lord's 
Supper  is  to  be  perpetuated  in  heaven  above.  But  if  they 
mean  spiritual  communion,  in  this  objection,  we  answer, 
that  we  now  have  such  communion  with  all  the  people  of 
God  on  earth. 

And  it  is  further  urged  that  the  Baptists  exclude  from 
their  communion  persons  with  whom  they  expect  to  live 
in  hfeaven;  therefore  the  Baptists  must  regard  their  com- 
munion as  a  holier  place  than  heaven  itself.  I  answer 
this  objection  by  asking.  Do  not  the  Pedobaptists  them- 
selves expect  to  live  in  heaven  with  persons  whom  they  ex- 
clude from  their  communion  ?  They  exclude  infants  and 
idiots,  and  yet  they  expect  to  live  in  heaven  with  them. 


Tested  by  the  (Bible.  239 

Is  the  PedohaptistH^  communion  more  holy  than  heaven  f 
Sucli  frivolous  objections  lie  Avitli  equal  weight  against 
those  who  make  them  as  against  Baptists.  To  illustrab* 
the  inconsistency  of  the  Pedobaptist  complaint  againnt- 
Baptists,  we  relate  a  circumstance  which  actually  occurred. 
On  a  communion  occasion,  as  the  elder  of  a  Presbyterian 
congregation  was  distributing  the  bread  and  wine,  his  own 
little  boy,  a  "  baptized"  member  of  the  church,  came  with 
tears,  pleading  with  his  father  for  the  bread  and  wine, 
saying,  '^Give  me  some  cake,  give  me  some  cider."  Was 
not  this  "close"  communion  thus  to  reject  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  who  had  the  sealing  ordinance  ?  Baptists 
commune,  at  least  with  all  their  own  members  in  fellow- 
ship, and  invite  all  others  to  come  to  the  table  on  the  same 
terms;  but  Pedobaptists  are  so  close  in  communion  that 
they  will  not  commune  with  their  own  infant  members. 
But  will  it  be  said  that  the  infants  can  not  understand  the 
design  of  the  Supper  ?  They  can  certainly  understand  the 
communion  as  well  as  they  understand  baptism.  The 
Greek  Church  is  more  consistent  than  other  Pedobaptists ; 
for  they  give  the  Supper  to  their  infant  members.  They 
administer  it  to  them  from  a  spoon.  But  our  "cZose" 
communion  friends  will  feed  the  old  sheep  and  let  the  little 
lambs  of  the  flock  go  unfed. 


Section    II.  —  Baptist     peculiarity    sixth  —  re- 
stricted  COMMUNION  —  tested  BY  THE  BIBLE. 

The  question  now  comes  up,  Is  the  peculiar  practice  of 
Baptists  in  regard  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  has  called 
down  on  them  the  scoffs  and  opposition  of  the  world,  sup- 
ported by  the  authority  of  Inspiration  ?     First :  Upon  the 


240  (kestrictcd  Commiuiion. 

examination  of  tlie  Scriptures   it  will  be  found  that  the 
Lord^s  Supper  stands  in  point  of  order  after  baptism. 

All  denominations  which  practice  baptism  at  all,  have, 
until  recently,  admitted  tliis  position ;  and  it  is  still  held, 
theoretically,  by  nearly  all  Christendom,  that  baptism  pre- 
cedes the  sacred  Supper ;  but  of  late,  some,  in  order  for  pop- 
ularity it  would  seem,  haye  come  to  the  conclusion  that  all 
classes,  whether  baptized  or  unbaptized,  may,  of  right,  ap- 
proach the  Lord's  table.  AVe  haye  the  example  of  the 
apostles  in  fay  or  of  our  position;  for  they  Ay  ere  all  bap- 
tized before  they  partook  of  the  Supper  at  the  hands  of 
Jesus  Christ.  This  is  not  only  sho\yn  from  the  fact  that 
the  apostles  were  John's  disciples  before  they  were  called 
to  preach  by  Jesus  Christ,  but  it  is  proyed,  from  the  lan- 
guage of  John  himself,  where  he  said :  "  I  indeed  baptize 

you  with  water  unto  repentance:  but  he  that 
Matt.  3 :  11.       -^  ,       ^  .        \   ,    .        ,        ^       , 

cometli  alter  me  is.  miirhtier  tiian  i,  whose 

shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear :  he  shall  baptize  you  with 

the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  fire."     This  shows  that  the  same 

characters  who  were  baptized  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  which 

w^as  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  were  preyiously  baptized  by 

John ;  the  twelye  apostles  were  baptized  in  the  Holy  Spirit 

on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  therefore,  they  were  preyiously 

baptized  by  John.     And  as  John's  ministry  closed  before 

the  giying  of  the  Supper,  therefore  it  is  absolutely  certain 

that  the  first  apostles  were  baptized  by  John  before  they 

participated  with  Christ  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

Again :   That  the  apostles  were  baptized  by  John,  is 

shovrn  from  the  foliowino;:  ^^And  all  the 

Luhe  7:   29,  30:  i      i         •        •-  i   ,i  i  r 

'      '    people,  hearmo:  it,  and  the  publicans,  lus- 
ncw  version,  r     r    j  t=>      y  i  ^  o 

tified  God,   haying  been  immersed  with 
John's  immersion.     But  the  Pharisees  and  the  lawyers 


(Baptism  before  the  Supper.  241 

rejected  the  counsel  of  God  toward  themselves,  not  hav- 
ing been  immersed  by  him."  From  this  it  appears  thiit 
those  who  received  Jesus  Christ  had  previously  been  bap- 
tized by  John.  The  true  apostles  received  Christ ;  there- 
fore they  had  received  John's  baptism.  And  this  is  con- 
firmed in  the  fact  that  the  apostle,  to  succeed  Judas,  must 
*4iave  companied  with  us" — the  other  apos- 
tles— "  all  the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus  went  '  '  "  " 
in  and  out  among  us,  beginning  from  the  baptism  of  John 
unto  that  same  day  that  he  was  taken  up  from  us,  must 
one  be  ordained  to  be  a  witness  with  us  of  his  resurrec- 
tion." As  none  w^ere  eligible  to  the  apostleship  except  those 
who  had  companied  Avith  the  apostles  beginning  from  the 
baptism  of  John,  therefore  the  apostles  began  from  the  bap- 
tism of  John.  Jesus  chose  his  first  disciples  from  among 
the  disciples  of  John,  otherwise  he  would  have  rejected 
John's  work  and  ministry ;  but  as  John  made  ready  a  peo- 
ple prepared  for  the  Lord,  the  Savior  received  the  people 
that  were  prepared  under  the  ministry  of  John ;  therefore, 
the  apostles  who  had  been  the  disciples  of  John,  had  been 
baptized  by  him.  But  if  the  apostles  were  not  baptized  be- 
fore the  communion,  they  were  not  baptized  at  all ;  and  this 
would  place  the  apostles  in  the  kingdom,  that  requires  bap- 
tism of  all,  without  baptism.  The  denial  of  the  baptism 
of  the  apostles  was  introduced  to  serve  a  theory. 

Again  :  The  Pentecostian  converts  did  not  partake  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  till  after  they  had  been  baptized.  The 
order  of  the  proceedings  of  that  day  was — 1st.  That  Jesus 
was  preached  as  Lord  and  Christ;  2d.  The  people  were 
cut  to  the  heart  and  cried  out;  3d.  They  were  commanded 
to  repent  and  be  baptized;  4th.  And  after  they  were 
baptized  that  gladly  received  the  Word,  "they  continued 


ii42  (Restricted  Corn'tnunion. 


Acts  2:   42. 


steadfastly  in  the  apostle's  doctrine  and  fel- 
lowship, and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in 
l^-aycrs.'^  Here  the  breaking  of  bread  in  the  communion 
came  after  baptism.  And  those  Avho  would  take  the  com- 
munion before  baptism,  violate  the  apostolic  order  of  the 
proceedings  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  same  is  also 
taught  in  the  commission,  where  the  Savior  said ;  "  Go  ye 

,,  ^^  ^  ^^  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizino: 
i/b;^^.28:  19,20.     ,         .     /,  ^,      ^,       '      i     p  xi 

them  in  the  name  oi  the  i^  ather,  and  oi  the 

Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost :  teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you  :  and,  lo !  I  am 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.'^  Un- 
der the  commission,  baptism  was  the  first  duty  enjoined 
after  the  exercise  of  true  faith ;  therefore  no  unbaptized  per- 
son, according  to  the  commission,  can  approach  the  Lord^s 
table.  It  can  not  be  shown  that  any  person  in  the  apos- 
tolic age  ever  dared  to  approach  the  Lord's  table  before 
and  without  baptism.  Baptists  do  not  regard  anything 
except  the  immersion  of  a  true  believer  as  baptism  at  all; 
therefore  Baptists  can  not  commune  with  the  members  of 
those  societies  which  practice  another  baptism.  And  more : 
baptism,  to  be  valid,  must  be  performed  by  the  sanction  or 
authority  of  a  church  of  Jesus  Christ  acting  as  the  execu- 
tive in  his  kingdom ;  therefore  Baptists  can  not  consist- 
ently commune  with  those  persons  who  have  received 
immersion  in  those  human  societies  which  have  been  set 
up  without  the  sanction  of  Heaven.  And  again :  the 
order  of  the  witnesses  which  bear  testimony  on  earth,  is 

^  r  7  ^  o  l^i^  down  as  follows :  "  And  there  are  three 
!l  John  5:8.  .  .  i      i      r>,    •  •  t    i 

that  bear  witness  in  earth,  the  Spirit,  and  the 

water,  and  the  blood :  and  these  three  agree  in  one.^'    How 

unmistakable  the  order  of  Heaven.     The  Holy  Spirit /?*si 


(Baptism  hcjcre  the  Supper.  243 

bears  witness  with  our  spirits  that  we  are  the  children  of 
God  by  faith  in  the  risen  Savior;  second^  the  water,  or 
burial  in  baptism,  testifies  that  we  are  dead  to  sin,  or  freed 
from  it ;  and  our  rising  out  of  the  water  shows  our  faith 
in  a  risen  Savior,  and  is  a  pledge  of  our  future  resurrec- 
tion from  the  dead.  The  blood,  the  third  witness,  is  the 
emblematic  blood  of  the  Supper,  and  testifies  of  the  death 
of  Christ  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood  for  the  remission 
of  sins.  These  three  witnesses  bear  testimony  on  earth, 
in  perfect  agreement,  in  the  order  of  Spirit,  water  and 
blood;  and  as  the  water  of  baptism  bears  testimony  after 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  so  the  emblematic  blood  in  the 
Supper  bears  testimony  after  the  witness  of  the  water  in 
baptism.  He  v/ho  would  willfully  invert  the  order  of  these 
witnesses,  abolish  or  change  their  testimony,  must  be  con- 
sidered as  exercising  the  authority  of  Antichrist.  The 
Baptists  are  the  only  people  on  earth  whose  practice  co- 
incides with  the  testimony  of  these  three  witnesses.  It  is 
now  fully  made  out  that,  in  the  apostolic  age,  Baptism 
always  preceded  the  Lord's  Supper. 

Second:  Jesus  Christ  was  baptized  before  he  participated 
with  his  disciples  in  the  Supper.  This  is  not  denied  by 
any  one,  because  the  baptism  of  Jesus  took  place  before 
he  entered  his  public  ministry,  and  the  giving  of  the  Sup- 
per occurred  the  night  before  his  crucifixion.  Those  who 
presume  to  approach  the  Lord's  table  before  they  have 
been  buried  in  baptism,  claim  a  privilege  neither  taken 
nor  granted  by  Jesus  Christ.  The  Savior  says  thc.t :  ''  li 
is  enouo^h  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his  ,^  ,^  ^, 
master,  and  the  servant  as  his  lord ;  but 
those  who  approach  the  table  without  baptism  have  usurped 
a  privilege  above  their  Lord  and  Master.     The  example 


244  (Restricted  Communion. 

of  Jesus  Christ  extends  still  further:   when  he  mstituted 

this  Supper,  he  entered  alone  with  his  disciples  into  a 

^  ^  "laro;e   upper  room/'   where  he   distrib- 

Luhe  22     12  19.  &         ri  y  ^ 

uted  the  elements,  and  said,  "  This  do  in 

remembrance  of  me/^  So,  then,  the  most  restricted,  and,  as 
some  would  say,  the  "  closest "  communion  that  ever  was 
held  on  earth,  was  administered  by  the  Savior  to  his  disci- 
ples. And  were  the  same  Savior  to  return  to  the  earth, 
in  the  form  of  a  servant,  like  he  was  then,  with  his  same 
disciples  in  this  our  day,  and  repeat  the  same  communion 
as  at  the  first,  these  same  people,  who  boast  so  much  of 
charity,  would  stigmatize  them  as  "close  communion  Bap- 
tists/^ So,  then,  when  Baptists  are  reproached  for  their 
practice,  they  should  consider  it  an  honor  to  bear  reproach 
for  Christ's  sake. 

Jesus  Christ  was  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  and  so 
are  Baptists,  on  account  of  following  the  example  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Third:  The  LorcVs  Supper  was  fixed  by  himself  in  his 
kingdom.  He  said,  while  at  the  table  at  the  time  of  the 
institution  of  the  Supper :  "  I  appoint  unto  you  a  king- 
dom  as  my  father  hath  appointed  unto 
me;  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table 
in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel.' '  It  has  already  been  shown  that  Jesus 
Christ  set  up  his  own  kingdom  with  visible  subjects,  laws, 
and  ordinances.  And  here  we  are  informed  that  the  dis- 
ciples must  eat  and  drink  at  his  table  in  his  kingdom.  Yes; 
the  Lord's  table  is  fixed  by  the  fiat  of  Heaven  in  his  king- 
dom. We  boldly  affirm  that  the  tables  spread  in  any  other 
church  01  kingdom  are  not  the  Lord's  tables,  whatever 
may  be  the  forms  and  solemn  ceremonies  attached  to  them 


The  Table  in  the,  Kingdom.  245 


The  table  spread  in  the  Romish  Church  is  not  the  Lord's 
table ;  but  it  is  the  table  of  Antichrist.  And  those  who 
partake  of  it  are  guilty  of  idolatry.  The  table  spread  in 
Mr.  AYesley^s  Society  is  not  the  Lord's  table;  it  is  Wesley's 
table.  And  the  same  might  be  said  of  all  the  communions 
established  by  men,  from  the  time  of  King  Henry  VIII. 
down  to  the  establishment  of  the  Reformed  Society  in 
1827.  As  these  societies,  established  by  men,  whatever 
may  be  the  moral  character  of  their  members,  form  no 
part  of  the  everlasting  kingdom  established  by  Jesus  him- 
self, in  which  he  placed  the  table,  therefore  the  Baptists 
who  are  members  of  that  kingdom  can  not  extend  the 
communion  to  these  human  kingdoms  without  violating 
the  positive  command  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  eat  and  drink  at 
his  table  in  his  kingdom.  And  the  communion  with  these 
societies  would  be  to  make  a  human  organization  equal  to 
the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  Lord's  table  is  alone 
to  be  found  in  the  kingdom  that  Jesus  Christ  set  up,  and  if 
we  were  to  place  the  elements  out  of  that  kingdom,  in  order 
to  please  men,  it  could  not  be  properly  called  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per ;  but  would  be  another  supper.  We,  as  the  Lord's  serv- 
ants, are  not  authorized  to  move  the  table  out  of  the  house 
to  please  those  who  think  themselves  too  holy  to  enter  the 
kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ.  Some  act  and  talk  as  if  they 
tliought  the  Lord's  Supper  was  altogether  under  the  control 
of  men ;  and  that  they  have  a  right  to  invite  or  prohibit 
whom  they  please.  This  certainly  is  an  egregious  mistake. 
Men  have  no  discretionary  powers  in  this  matter  whatever. 
Jesus  Christ  himself  built  the  house,  or  kingdom,  and  es- 
tablished his  table  in  the  house;  and  laid  down  the  laws 
of  approach  to  it ;  and,  therefore,  he  that  would  change  or 
abolish  those  laws  has  proved  himself  a  daring  usurper 


246  (Restricted  Coiiinuinio::. 

of  the  authority  which  alone  belongs  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Those  who  find  fault  on  account  of  the  communion  being 
restricted  to  the  kingdom^  are  finding  fault  with  Jesus 
Christ.  Notwithstanding  the  Lord's  Supper  is  restricted 
to  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  yet  all  the  children  of  God  are 
invited  to  participate  at  the  Lord's  table  in  the  kingdom. 
They  should  not  be  invited  to  approach  that  table  in  the 
neglect  or  contempt  for  the  laws  of  Jesus  Christ.  Every 
one  must  get  into  the  house,  or  kingdom,  before  he  ap- 
proaches the  table  which  is  fixed  in  the  kingdom.  When 
we  invite  our  neighbors  to  eat  at  our  tables  of  the  things 
necessary  for  the  body,  we  invite  them  on  the  same  terms 
with  every  member  of  the  family.  It  would  be  very  un- 
kind in  one,  after  refusing  such  an  offer,  to  narrate  through- 
out the  neighborhood  that  his  neighbor  would  not  let  him 
eat  at  his  table !  Such  is  the  practice  of  those  who  talk  so 
much  about  "  charity.^^  1  repeat,  that  the  Baptists  invite 
all  the  children  of  God  to  commune  at  the  Lord's  table 
upon  the  same  terms  that  they  themselves  approach 
that  table;  and  if  they  refuse  to  come,  it  is  because  their 
own  doctrines  or  traditions  stand  as  a  barrier  to  keep  them 
away.  We  invite  them  first  into  the  house  with  us,  and 
then  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  upon  the  terms  laid  down 
by  the  Master  of  the  house,  to  which  all  must  submit  in 
coming  to  the  table. 

Fourth:  To  commune  indiscriminately  with  all  the  sects, 
would  be  the  indorsement  of  their  doctrines  of  church  c?'- 
ganization.  It  is  taught  by  nearly  all  the  professing  world, 
that  the  Lord's  Supper  is  an  institution  belonging  solely 
to  the  churches  of  Christ.  Therefore,  when  we  receive  the 
members  from  tlie  various  human  societies  to  the  Supper, 
we  ^ay,  by  that  act,  that  he  is  a  church  member;  and  if  so, 


The   Table  in  the  Kingdom.  247 

his  baptism  is  valid,  though  received  in  infancy,  or  in 
order  to  the  pardon  of  sins.  So,  if  we  should  commune 
with  those  human  societies,  then  we  would  be  liable  to  the 
charge  of  bidding  god-speed  to  all  the  monstrous  ab- 
surdities of  the  so-called  Christian  world.  But  we  are 
warned  against  these  traditions  of  men  by  the  Savior,  in 

the  followino-  lano;iiao^e :  "In  vain  do  they     ,,    ,  „    „ 
^      ^  .  "^     Mark  7:  7. 

worship  me,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  com- 
mandments of  men.^^     And  Paul  warns  us  against  these 

traditions,  as  follows :     '^  Touch   not ;   taste 

,        ,,  1  •  1        11  •  1      Cot.  2;  21— 2o. 

not;    handle  not;    winch  all  are   to  perish 

with  the  using;  after  the  commandments  and  doctrines  of 

men :  which  things  have  indeed  a  show  of  wisdom  in  will 

worship,  and  humility,  and  neglecting  of  the  body;  not 

in  any  honor  to  the  satisfying  of  the  flcsh.'^     But  those 

who  commune  with  the  societies  that  hold  these  traditions 

and  commandments  of  men,  have  not  only  touched^  tasted, 

or  handled  them,  but  they  have  publicly  indorsed  them  by 

indorsing  the  church  which  holds  them.     But  does  John 

recommend  this  mixed  fellowship  and  communion  ?     No ; 

ibr   he  said:   "If  there  come   any   to   you,   ^  ^,     ,.  ,. 
,,.  ,.-,         .  .•^,.•''2  John,  10-14. 

and  brmg  not  this  doctrine,  receive  him  not 

into  your  house;  neither  bid  him  god-speed.  For  he  that 
biddeth  him  god-speed,  is  partaker  of  his  evil  deeds.'^ 
John  says,  ^'receive  him  not/'  but  the  popular  communion- 
isf.  'says,  "  receive  him  '^  / 

To  illustrate  the  folly  of  this  popular  communion  sys- 
t(!ai,  I  will  here  relate  an  occurrence  which  took  place  in 
my  own  labors  several  years  ago  :  I  called  at  the  dwell- 
ing of  Mr.  P.,  a  prominent  Universalist ;  and  he  immedi- 
ately introduced  the  claims  of  Universalism  and  advocated 
them  with  enthusiasm.     He  was,  however,  ignorant  of  nay 


248  (Restricted  Communion. 

denominational  locality;  and  lie  supposed  that  I  was  a 
Methodist.  And  when  he  felt  that  his  foundation  was 
being  swept  aw^ay  before  the  Bible  truth,  he  exclaimed : 
"  The  Methodists  admit  that  the  Universalists  are  an  or- 
thodox churcli  by  communing  with  them."  I  replied : 
"  I  am  not  a  Methodist ;  neither  am  I  responsible  for  their 
inconsistencies."  He  then  exclaimed  :  "  The  Presbyte- 
rians will  commune  with  us."  I  replied :  "  I  am  not  a 
Presbyterian."     He  then,  in  his  excitement,  exclaimed : 

"  The  Baptists  ; "   I    remarked,   interrupting    him, 

"  do  n't  say  Baptists."  He  then,  in  the  extremity  of  his 
confusion,  said :  "  The  Baptists  are  a  bigoted,  narrow- 
hearted  set,  any  how."  I  remarked  that  "  The  Baptists 
have  too  much  consistency  to  indorse  such  an  abominable 
doctrine  as  Universalismhy  communing  with  its  members." 
Had  I  been  in  the  place  of  the  popular  communionist, 
I  should  have  been  puzzled  for  an  answer.  We  could 
mention  cases  Avhere  Universalists  have  taken  the  Supper 
with  the  open  communionists  at  their  popular  tables.  Do 
not  the  open  communionists  bid  god-speed  to  Universal- 
ism?  And,  according  to  this  ojjen  theory,  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic, Mormon,  Shaking  Quaker,  or  Infidel,  may  approach 
the  sacred  Supper  provided  he  thinks  himself  worthy !  It 
is  evident  to  every  thinking  mind,  that,  to  invite  the  mem- 
bers of  the  different  sects  to  the  communion,  is  to  indorse 
their  church  organization  and  doctrines,  whatever  they 
may  be.  How,  then,  could  any  Baptist  recognize  the 
sprinkling  of  infants  as  baptism,  by  communing  with  thoso 
who  practice  it?  In  exhibiting  the  inconsistency  of  Robert 
Hall,  in  advocating  open  communion,  the 

1.  '\i  /r^^  ^ot'  lamented  John  L.  Waller  said  that :  "  Mj". 
6,y  Waller,  p.  33. 

Hall  had  surely  forgotten  the  history  cf 


Mixed  Communion  Sanctions  Error.      249 

infant  baptism;  a  system,  the  natural  and  necessary  tend- 
ency of  which  was  to  obliterate  the  lines  of  demarcation 
between  the  church  and  the  workl — to  unite  church  and 
state — to  remove  tlie  distinction  between  those  who  serve 
God  and  those  who  serve  him  not.  Infant  baptism  is  the 
pillar  of  Popery.  That  monstrous  superstructure  of  fraud 
and  folly  could  not  survive  two  generations  if  infant 
baptism  did  not  support  it.  By  that  rite,  in  each  gen- 
eration, not  less  than  one  hundred  millions  of  persons  be- 
came the  subjects  of  the  Pope.  Millions  per  annum  are 
kidnapped  in  their  cradles,  and  made  the  vassals  of  other 
churches  and  creeds  by  what  Mr.  Hall  is  pleased  rhetori- 
cally to  class  among  'the  points  non-essential.'^^  In  view 
of  these  monstrous  evils  of  infant  baptism,  what  Baptist 
is  willing  to  indorse  it  by  communion  with  Pedobaptist 
churches? 

Again :   in  exhibiting  the  utter  folly  of  Mr.  HalPs  mixed 
theory  of  communion,  Mr.  Waller  remarks:  "AVith  him 
it  matters  not  whether  a  believer  be  im- 
mersed into  the  name  of  the  triune  God,     ^"  '      '^'     ^^^ 

^     Com.,  p.  02. 

or  whether  a  worthless  person  in  helpless 
babyhood  has  had  some  water  and  oil  poured,  by  a  papal 
priest,  or  midwife,  or  scullion,  upon  its  forehead  and  eye- 
brows ;  or  whether,  upon  the  responses  of  ghostly  parents, 
water  simply  has  been  poured  upon  the  little  head  by  an 
Episcopal  prelate,  priest,  or  deacon ;  or  whether  he  has 
had  water  sprinkled  or  poured  upon  him  by  a  Methodist 
or  Presbyterian  minister :  any  one  of  all  these  things  en- 
titles him  to  membership  in  the  church,  according  to  Mr. 
Hall.'' 

In  view  of  the  reckless  folly  of  the  doctrine  of  open 
comnmnion,  I  must  be  permitted  to  say,  with  elder  Wal- 


250  (Restricted  Communion. 


ler,  that:  "  A  free-communion  Baptist  is,  in  spirit  and  feel- 
ino;,  no  Baptist  at  all.  He  not  only  dis- 
cards  whatever  makes  us  Baptists,  but  he 
can  not  get  along  without  misrepresenting  our  system,  and 
making  it  palpable  to  every  one  that  he  cherishes  for  us  a 
feeling  of  contempt,  and  loves  all  others  better  than  those 
whose  name  he  bears,  and  to  whose  association  he  afPects 
to  belong/^ 

We  have  now  had  ample  proof  from  the  Bible  that 
this  peculiarity  of  the  Baptist  practice  concerning  com- 
munion is  supported  by  the  AVord  of  God  and  the  prac- 
tice of  the  apostolic  age.  The  great  advocate  of  open 
communion,  Bobert  Hall  himself,  said  that :  "  The  apos- 
tles, it  is  acknowledged,  admitted  none  to 
Quoted  by  Waller, 
Open  Com.,  p.  21. 


the  Lord's  Supper  but  such  as  were  pre- 
viously baptized.'^     This   being  so,  how 
dare  any  one  violate  the  example  of  the  inspired  apostles? 


Section   III.  —  Concessions   to   baptist  views   of 

COMMUNION. 

First:  ^^Neander,  in  his  great  Church  History,  speak- 
ing of  the  Lord's  Supper,  in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity, 

says:  ^At  this  celebration,  as  may  easily 
Quoted  by  Waller  ^^  concluded,  no  one  could  be  present 
Open  Com.,  p.  20.  '  i  p    i       ^.i     •     • 

who  w^as  not  a  member  oi  the  Christian 

Church,  and  incorporated  into  it  by  the  rite  of  baptism.'  ^^ 

Second:  The  learned  Dr.  D wight,  a  congregationalisl, 

and  president  of  Yale  College,  remarks  that:  "It  is  mi 

indispensable  qucdiflccdion  for  this  ordi^ 

Dwiglies  Theology,  ^^^         ^j^_^^  ^j^^  candidate  for  communion 

vol.    IV,    p.    360.  ,  ^  ,  ,  ^  .      -7   7  ^>7  7  X' 

be  a  member  oj    the    viaioce    UiurcJi   oj 


Concessions  to  baptist   Views.  251 

Christ  in  full  standing.  By  this  I  intend,  that  he  shall 
be  such  a  member  of  the  church  as  I  have  formerly  des- 
cribed— to  wit:  that  he  should  be  a  person  of  piety;  that 
he  should  have  made  a  public  profession  of  religion,  and 
that  he  should  have  been  baptized  J' 

Third:  Waller  says:  ^^  The  late  Dr.  GrifSn,  formerly 
president  of  Williams  Colleo;e,  Mass.,  and  ^  ^ 
one  01  the  most  talented  and  erudite  oi 
the  con2:ref>:ational  clero:y  of  New  Eno;land,  in  his  cele- 
brated  letter  on  communion,  says  :  '  I  agree  with  the  advo- 
cates of  close  communion  on  two  things:  1.  That  baptism 
is  an  initiating  ordinance,  which  introduces  into  the  visi- 
ble church.  Of  course,  where  there  is  no  baptism  there 
are  no  visible  churches.  2.  That  we  ought  not  to  com- 
mune with  those  who  are  not  baptized,  and,  of  course,  are 
not  church  members,  even  if  we  regard  them  as  Chris- 
tians. Should  a  pious  Quaker  so  far  depart  from  his 
principles  as  to  wish  to  commune  with  me  at  the  Lord^s 
table,  while  he  yet  refused  to  be  baptized,  I  could  not  re- 
ceive him,  because  there  is  such  a  relation  established  bo- 
tween  the  two  ordinances  that  I  have  no  right  to  separate 
them ;  or,  in  other  words,  I  have  no  right  to  send  the  sa- 
cred elements  out  of  the  church.'  '^ 

Fourth :  Again,  Waller  says :  "  The  Baltimore  Chris^ 
tian  Advocate,  an  organ  of  the  Methodist    ^       ^ 
Episcopal  Church   South,  holds  the  fol-  •?  P-     • 

lowing  language :  ^  That  a  good  man  may  be  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  necessity  of  adult  immersion,  we  do  not,  for 
a  moment,  doubt ;  and  that  they  who  believe  this,  should 
decline  communion  with  the  unbaptizcd,  is  reasonable  and 
consistent.     To  be  offended  with  the  refusal  of  these  to 


252  cRcs:ric:cd  Communion. 

commune  with   us,  is  absurd;   to  reproach  them  for  it, 
unkind  and  unjustifiable.'  '^ 

Fifth  :  Again,  Mr.  Waller  says  that :  "  The  Boston  Ee- 

^    corder,  Cong^reo-ationalist,  in  a  late  issue, 
Open  Com.,  p.  S6.  t^  •  i     ^     ^i 

says :  '  it  we  receive  people  to  the  com- 
munion Avithout  baptism,  we  shall  practically  treat  bap- 
tism as  a  nullity,  and  contribute  to  its  being  wholly 
abandoned.'  " 

Sixth :  Dr.  Beech  er  says  :    "  If  our  Baptist  brethren  are 
right  on  the  mode  and  subjects  of  bap- 

f^uo  e     y     a  er,  ^-g^^  thev  are  ri2:ht  on  the  question  of  com- 
Opeji  Com.,-p.  8i .  ^        .  o  t. 

munion." 

Seventh :  The  Eev.  F.  G.  Hibbard,  of  the  Genesee  Con- 
ference, in  his  work  on  baptism,  published  by  the  Metho- 
dist Conference,  said  :  '^  The  question  on  the  mode  of  bap- 
tism borrows  all  its  importance  from  the 

HibhardonBapt.,  ..  cr    r^\    ■  ^.'       i       ^-         v     i^ 

^^o  1-1  question:    'Is  Christian  baptism  itselr  es- 

sentially prerequisite  to  a  Scriptural  par- 
ticipation of  the  Lord's  Supper  ? '  This  latter  topic  has 
been  treated  adjunctively  with  the  question  of  the  mode, 
and  lends  to  it  an  unspeakable  interest.  Divines  have 
not  entered  the  polemic  arena  to  show  their  skill  and  tact 
at  debate.  The  long  and  painful  controversy  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  mode  of  Christian  baptism,  has  not  been  merely 
a  display  of  intellectual  parts.  The  Corinthians  are  justly 
censurable  for  wasting  time  and  intellectual  power,  and 
brotherly  charity,  in  a  controversy  concerning  '  meats  and 
drinks,  and  new  moons,  and  holy  days ; '  the  schoolmen 
liave  exhibited  themselves  to  the  ridicule  of  all  succeed- 
ing generations,  for  their  fruitless  and  eternal  disputations 
on  such  points  as,  whether  there  is  any  possible  distinction 
between  essence  and  existence ;  whether  an  angel,  or  pure 


(Dr.  Hibbard's  Concession.  253 

siiirit,  can  pass  from  one  absolute  point  to  another  with- 
out passing  over  the  intermediate  space  ;  and  nearly  allied 
to  such  topics  must  be  the  question  of  the  mode  of  bap- 
tism, if  it  have  no  further  im])()rtance  than  the  mere  con- 
venience of  fitness  of  an  outward  ceremony.  But  the  case 
is  far  otherwise.  The  bearing  which  the  mode  of  baptism 
is  alleged  to  have  on  the  validity  of  the  ordinance,  and 
the  connection  which  it  bears  to  the  lawful  approach  to 
the  Lord's  table,  and  to  the  rights  and  immunities  of 
church-fellowship, — these  invest  it  with  a  character  of 
paramount  importance." 

"  The  question  no  longer  respects  merely  a  ceremony 
of    religion,   but  has  assumed  the   bold 

and  alarming  aspect  of  church  or  no  ^f^^d  on  Bapt, 

^  p.  1/3. 

CHURCH  !  Every  ordinance,  every  insti- 
tution, every  rite  and  privilege  of  visible  Christianity,  is 
drawn  along  and  merged  into  the  bosom  of  this  doubtful 
controversy.  Within  its  ample  folds  are  embraced  the 
question  of  true  Protestantism  and  pure  Christianity ; 
while  its  capacious  vortex  has  set  in  motion  the  very  pil- 
lars of  the  visible  church,  threatening  to  whelm  it  in  its 
troubled  waters.  The  issues  of  this  controversy  are  to 
decide  whether  the  Pedobaptist  churches  are  the  true 
churches  of  Christ;  whether  their  ministers  hold  their 
commission  to  administer  the  ordinances  by  a  lawful  ten- 
ure ;  whether  their  members  have  any  right  to  approach 
to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  and  whether  the  privileges  of  the 
church  may  be  conceded  to  them  without  desecration. 
Verily,  the  question  of  the  mode  of  baptism  is  a  far-reach- 
ing subject.  Without  controversy,  it  is  a  grave  theme. 
Before  entering  upon  the  argument  before  us,  it  is  but 
just  to  remark,  that  in  one  principle  the  Baptist  and  Pe- 


254  (Restricted  Communion. 

dobaptist  churches  agree.  They  both  agree  in  rejecting 
from  communion  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  and  in  denying 
the  rights  of  church-fellowship  to,  all  who  have  not  been 
baptized.  Valid  baptism  they  consider  as  essential  to 
constitute  visible  church  membership.  This  also  we  hold. 
The  only  question,  then,  that  here  divides  us,  is,  ^What 
is  essential  to  valid  baptism?^  The  Baptists,  in  passing 
the  sweeping  sentence  of  disfranchisement  upon  all  other 
Christian  churches,  have  only  acted  upon  a  principle  held 
in  common  with  all  other  Christian  churches — viz:  that 
baptism  is  essential  to  church  membership." 

"  They  have  denied  our  baptism,  and,  as  unbaptized 
persons,  we  have  been  excluded  from  their 

^„,  "^  '  table.      Inat   they  err  greatly  m   their 

views  of  Christian  baptism,  we,  of  course, 
believe.  But,  according  to  their  views  of  baptism,  they 
certainly  are  consistent  in  restricting  thus  their  commun- 
ion. We  would  not  be  understood  as  passing  a  judgment 
of  approval  upon  their  course ;  but  we  say  their  views  of 
baptism  force  them  upon  the  ground  of  strict  communion, 
and  herein  they  act  upon  the  same  principles  as  other 
churches — i.  e.,  they  admit  only  those  whom  they  deem 
baptized  persons  to  the  communion  table.  Of  course,  they 
must  be  their  own  judges  as  to  what  baptism  is.  It  is  ev- 
ident that,  according  to  our  views  of  baptism,  we  can  ad- 
mit them  to  our  communion  ;  but  with  tlieir  views  of  bap- 
tism, it  is  equally  evident,  they  can  never  reciprocate  the 
courtesy.  And  the  charge  of  close  commu7iion  is  no  more 
applicable  to  the  Baptists  than  to  us,  inasmuch  as  the 
question  of  church-fellowship  with  them  is  determined  by 
as  liberal  principles  as  it  is  with  any  other  Protestant 
churches,  so  far,  I  mean,  as  the  present  subject  is  con- 


Concessions  to  (Baptist   Views.  255 

cerned — i.  e.,  it  is  determined  by  valid  baptism.  Now, 
this  being  the  case,  does  it  not  become  a  measure  of  respon- 
sible moment  to  decide  upon  the  question  of  the  mode  of 
baptism?  Indeed,  so  awful  are  the  aspects  of  this  sub- 
ject, that  thousands  have  feared  to  assume  a  decided  posi- 
tion in  reference  to  it.  They  have  held  to  exclusive  im- 
mersion, and  at  the  same  time  have  held  to  catholic  com- 
munion, or  communion  with  persons  who  have  not  been 
immersed — an  anomaly  and  absurdity  that  presents  a  sin- 
gular contrast  to  the  characteristic  symmetry  of  Christian 
theology.^' 

I  have  introduced  this  long  quotation  from  Mr.  Hib- 
bard  on  account  of  the  strength  of  his  argument  in  show- 
ing the  utter  folly  of  holding  to  inmiersion  as  the  only 
baptism,  and  at  the  same  time  practicing  mixed  commun- 
ion. Hibbard  justly  says  that  the  Baptist  '^  views  of  bap- 
tism force  them  upon  the  ground  of  strict  communion ;  '^ 

'^AND  THE  CHARGE  OF  CLOSE  COMMUNION  IS  NO  MORE 
APPLICABLE    TO    THE    BAPTISTS    THAN  TO   US."      If   all 

Pedobaptist  writers  and  speakers  would  thus  admit  the  con- 
sistency of  Baptist  practice  in  communion,  though  they  may 
think  us  in  error,  it  would  be  much  better  for  themselves, 
as  well  as  for  us.  In  showing  the  inconsistency  of  the 
open  communion  Baptists,  the  same  writer  says :  "But  it 
is  far  less  responsible,  in  our  estimation, 
to  hold  that  baptism  may  be  administered  ^^^^  ^^  ^  ' 
by  sprinkling  or  pouring,  than  to  hold  fel- 
lowship at  the  Lord's  table  with  persons  we  do  not  believe 
have  received  Christian  baptism." 

Eighth:  Dr.  Wall,  the  Vicar  of  Shoreham,  the  learned 
Episcopalian,  in  his  history  of  infant  baptism,  says: 
"Among  all  the  absurdities  that  ever  were  held,  none  ever 


256  (kestricted  Co: 


uunumon. 


JFis.  Inf.  BapL,    maintained,  that  any  person  should  partake 
P'  of  the  communion  before  he  was  baptized.' ' 

Ninth:  Drs.  Coke  and  Asbury,  the  founders  of  Method- 
ist Episcopacy,  in  their  notes  on  the  Discipline  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  say :  "  We  must  also  observe,  that  our 
elders  should  be  very  cautious  how  they 
^6  07^0/    iscip.,  g^^j-^jji-  ^^  the  communion  persons  who  arc 

not  in  our  society.  It  would  be  highly 
injurious  to  our  hrethreyi  if  we  suffered  any  to  partake  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  with  them  whom  we  would  not  readily 
admit  into  our  society  on  application  made  to  us.  Those 
whom  we  judge  unfit  to  partake  of  our  profitable,  pruden- 
tial means  of  grace,  we  should  most  certainly  think  im- 
proper to  be  partakers  of  an  ordinance  which  has  been 
expressly  instituted  by  Christ  himself.^' 

Tenth:  Again,  Bishop  Hedding,  on  the  administration 
of  the  Discipline  of  the  Methodists,  asks:  "Is  it  proper 
for  a  preacher  to  give  out  a  general  invitation  in  the  con- 
gregation to  '  members  in  good  standing  in  other  churches ' 
to  come  to  the  Lord's  Supper?  No;  for  the  most  un- 
worthy persons  are  apt  to  think  themselves  in  good  stand- 
ing. And  sometimes  persons  who  are  not  members  of  any 
church  wdll  take  the  liberty,  from  such  an  invitation,  to 
come.  And  again,  there  are  some  communities,  called 
churches,  which,  from  heretical  doctrines  or  immoral  prac- 
tices, have  no  claim  to  the  privileges  of  Christians,  and 
ought  not  to  be  admitted  to  the  communion  of  any  Chris- 
tian people.  The  rule  in  that  case  is  as  follows,  and  it 
ought  to  be  strictly  adhered  to :  ^  Let  no  person  who  is 
rot  a  member  of  our  church  be  admitted  to  the  communion 
without  examination,  and  some  token  given,  by  an  elder 
or  deacon.     No  person  shall  be  admitted  to  the  Lord's 


Concessions  to  (Baptist   Views.  257 

Supper  among  us  who  is  guilty  of  any  practice  for  Avhich 
we  would  exclude  a  member  of  our  church.' — Discipline, 
page  75."  Here  the  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Church  is 
opposed  to  open  communion,  and  refers  to  the  Discipline 
to  sustain  his  position.  And  it  is  evident  that,  according 
to  the  Discipline,  no  Baptist  can  commune  with  the  Method- 
ists; for  the  law  is,  that  no  person  can  commune  "among  us 
who  is  guilty  of  any  practice  for  which  we  . 

would  exclude  a  member  of  our  church.'' 

And  as  all  are  liable  to  exclusion  "who     ^.   . 
Ill  IT  •  1  T  1  .      Viscip.,  p.  129. 

hold  and  dissemuiate,  publicly  or  pri- 
vately, doctrines  which  are  contrary  to  our  Articles  of 
Relig-ion,"  or  "inveiffh  against  either  our  ^.  . 
doctrines  or  Discipline,  such  person  so  ot- 
fending  shall  be  first  reproved  by  the  senior  minister,  or 
preacher,  of  his  circuit,  and  if  he  persist  in  such  pernicious 
practices,  he  shall  be  expelled  from  the  church;"  and  it  is 
known  to  all,  that  Baptists  not  only  oppose  the  articles  of 
the  Methodist  religion,  but  they  inveigh  against  their  doc- 
trine and  Discipline,  and,  therefore,  would  be  excluded 
were  they  members  of  the  Methodist  society;  bat  as  none 
are  allowed  to  commune  whom  the  Methodists  would  ex- 
elude  from  their  society,  therefore,  according  to  the  Dis- 
cipline, no  Baptist  can  commune  with  the  Methodists. 
And  more :  the  Methodist  preacher  who  would  invite  them, 
is' guilty  of  the  violation  of  his  own  solemn  oath,  which  he 
has  taken  to  observe  the  Discipline  in  every  point,  great 
and  small.  While  some  Pedobaptists  are  continually  up- 
braiding us  for  close  communion,  they  forget  that  they 
themselves  are  guilty  of  a  more  unscripturally  close  com- 
munion than  ourselves,  \yhile  we  invite  to  the  Supper 
all  of  our  own  members,  and,  in  fact,  every  child  of  God 


^Restricted  C 


oninmnwn. 


to  enter  the  kingdom  and  approach  the  Lord's  tal)lG 
scriptiirally,  these  Pedobaptist  preachers  refuse  to  take  to 
their  Supper  the  most  innocent  of  all  their  membership, — I 
mean  the  babies  whom  they  have  kidnapped,  sentenced, 
and  condemned  to  Methodism,  by  forcin^^  them  into  the 
"Methodist  Church"  by  spriidcling  or  pouring!  Will 
they  say  that  an  infant  Methodist  is  too  young  to  under- 
stand the  design  of  the  Supper?  If  so,  he  is  too  young  to 
understand  the  design  of  baptism  and  (ihurch  membership. 
The  Greek  Church  is  more  consistent  than  the  modern 
Pedobaptist  sects;  for  they  extend  the  8upj)er  to  every 
baptized  infant,  though  his  age  may  be  only  eleven  days. 
What  would  be  thought  (jf  my  consistency  were  I  to  make 
a  feast  and  sound  a  trumpet  to  proclaim  my  charity,  and 
invite  strangers  to  my  supper;  but  after  all,  it  turns  out 
that  I  have  debarred  my  own  children — a  part  of  my  own 
family — from  the  feast?  It  would  be  thought  that  my 
ado  about  my  superior  charity  was  only  for  popular  effect. 
I  am  fully  satisfied  that  open  communion  originated  in  the 
desire  for  popularity.  Its  object  is  to  please  men,  not  God. 
The  Modern  Ilcjormers  hold  strict  communion  in  theory, 
but  loofic  communion  in  practice.  Their  leaders  know  that 
strict  communion  is  Scriptural,  but  their  desire  for  popu- 
larity is  so  strong  that  they  practice  open  communion.  Mr. 
Campbell,  their  founder  and  leader,  has  repeatedly  ex- 
pressed himself  in  opposition  to  open  communion.  I  here 
introduce  one  statement  from  him,  as  follows:  "We  do  not 
recollect  that  we  have  ever  argued  out  the 

Mill.  Harh.,  vol.    n^d^j^-c,  Qf  ^i^jg  ^fj-ge  and  open  communion 
//,  p.  893.  ^ 

system.'     But  one  remark  we  must  offer 

in  passing,  that  we  must  regard  it  as  one  of  the  weakest 

and  most  vulnerable  causes  ever  plead  ;  and  that  the  ^  great' 


Folly  of  Conimunion  zvith  (keforfners.       259 

Mr.  Hall,  as  he  is  called,  has,  in  his  defense  of  the  prac- 
tice, made  it  appear  worse  than  before.  In  attempting  to 
make  it  reasonable,  he  has  only  proved  how  unreasonable 
and  unscriptural  it  is.'^  And  yet,  in  the  face  of  this  strong 
condemnation  of  Mr.  Campbell,  his  disciples  practice  this 
"unreasonable  and  unscriptural'^  open  communion  sys- 
tem. These  modern  disciples  are  more  inconsistent  than 
any  other  "  open  "  communion  society  on  earth.  The  Pe- 
dobaptist  open  communionists  hold  the  branch  church  sys- 
tem,— and  they  only  propose  to  commune  with  those  whom 
they  regard  as  church  members,  or  at  least.  Christians, — • 
but  Reformers  wish  to  commune  with  those  whom  they 
regard  as  members  of  Antichrist  alid  children  of  the  devil. 
These  people  who  profess  to  have  escaped  from  the  cor- 
ruptions and  smoke  of  Babylon,  will  seek  the  opportunity 
to  commune  with  Baptists  and  others  whom  they  regard 
as  a  part  of  Babylon  and  Antichrist !  They  complain  if 
they  are  not  permitted  to  commune  with  the  Antichristian 
sects.  When  they  do  this,  do  they  not  return  to  "their 
wallowing  in  the  mire''?  They  either  do  not  believe 
what  they  say  of  others,  or  they  are  guilty  of  willfull 
idolatry  in  symbolizing  w^ith  Antichrist.  Which  horn  of 
this  dilemma  will  they  choose?  Elder  J.  L.  Waller  sets 
forth  the  utter  absurdity  of  communion  with  this  sect,  as 

follows :  "  The  Reformers  do  not  regard     ^       ^ 
-       _,        .  ,  p     1       /^i         1       Open  Com.,  p.  76. 

the  Baptists  as  members  ot  the   Church 

of  Christ.  They  proclaim  us  to  be  schismatics  or  secta- 
rians. They  affirm  that  we  have  built  upon  another 
foundation  than  the  sacred  Scriptures — that  we  are  one  of 
the  dauo-hters  of  mvstical  Babvlon.  Hence,  their  chief 
work  has  been  to  reform  us  and  to  construct  us  into  a 
veritable  church.     They  call  upon  us  to  forsake  our  evil 


260  -  (Restricteii  Conimunion. 

ways,  and  to  follow  them  in  the  paths  which  they  honor 
with  their  footprints.  And  whenever  they  can  get  a  Bap- 
tist to  join  them,  they  rejoice  more  over  him  than  over 
ninety  and  nine  wicked  persons  who  need  repentaiice. 

If  they  regard  ours  as  churches  of  God,  then  tliey  are 
guilty  of  egregious  wrong  in  producing  schism  in  the  body 
of  Christ,  which  they  every-where  atteni})t,  and  which,  in 
many  cases,  they  have  but  too  successfiiUy  accomplished; 
and  if  they  do  not  regard  ours  as  churches  of  God,  then 
they  can  not,  according  to  that  Bible  which  they  profess 
so  dearly  to  reverence,  wish  sacramental  communion  with 
us.  According  to  the  first  supposition,  they  are  too  sinful 
for  our  fellowship ;  and  according  to  the  last,  we  are  too 
sinful  for  theirs.  Either  way,  and  intercommunion  is 
wholly  out  of  the  question, — it  is  but  the  communion  of 
light  and  darkness.'^ 

Yet,  in  the  face  of  all  these  facts,  the  modern  Beformers 

are  guilty  of  the  very  absurdity  which  involves  them  in 

hypocrisy  and  guilt  in  the  sight  of  God.     Mr.  Waller 

shows  the  utter  folly  of  Baptists,  when  they  commune 

with  Campbellites,  in  the  following  words :  "  In  many  of 

the  reformed  ^  congregations,'  too,  are  per- 

'*^  *    L^         "'    sons  who  have  been  excluded  from  Bai)tist 
P23.  /b,  /7.  ,  ^ 

churches  for  sundry  misdemeanors  and 
immoralities,  and  yet  have  been  taken  into  the  brotherhood 
of  the  Reformation  without  any  reo-ard  to  our  feeliuirs  or 
discipline  in  the  premises.  This,  our  readers  will  bear 
witness,  is  no  mere  fancy  supposition  to  serve  a  purpose. 
Such  examples,  unfortunately,  exist  too  abundantly.  Do 
not  Baptists,  then,  in  fellov/shiping  such  at  the  Lord's 
table,  and  as  true  church  members,  proclaim,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  their  own  want  of  ecclesiastical  existence — 


Opeit  Commimion  Injurious.  2G1 

that  to  them  belong  none  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of  a 
Christian  church  ?  •  Is  it  not  an  admission  that  they  have 
no  Scriptural  right  to  receive  and  exclude  members?  Is  it 
not,  in  short,  an  acknowledgment  as  palpable  as  it  is  humil- 
iating, that  everything  which  the  reformed  ^proclaimers^ 
have  preached  and  published  respecting  our  sectarianism 
and  our  kindredship  to  the  papal  harlot,  is  just  and  true  ? 
As  matters  now  stand  between  ourselves  and  the  Reform- 
ers, it  would  be  far  better  for  us  to  become  members  with 
them,  than  to  commune  with  them.  That  would  be  more 
consistent  and  manly.  It  is  better  and  more  honorable  to 
surrender  our  cause  than  to  betray  it.  Let  us  be  open 
enemies  rather  than  traitors." 

I  am  persuaded  that  no  Baptist  who  understands  the 
dreadful  import  of  his  act,  will  ever  so  far  betray  the 
cause  of  his  Master  as  to  commune  \vith  those  w^ho  preach 
"another  Gospel.'^     On   this   point,   Mr.  Waller  further 

savs  :   "  Baptists  agree  with  Mr.  Campbell 

•    ,    .    .         ,1^  ,  \     i.   '  J      Wal.  Open  Com., 

in   mamtainmg  that  none  but  immersed         ^.^ 

believers  in  Jesus  Christ  have  a  right  to 
come  to  his  table ;  because  only  such  are  fit  for  member- 
ship in  his  visible  churches,  and  because  the  Supper  was 
ordained  by  him  to  be  a  church  ordinance :  but  they  be- 
lieve his  theory  of  the  plan  of  salvation  to  be  unscriptural 
and  pernicious.  Thus  believing,  they  can  not,  by  inviting 
Reformers  to  their  communion,  recognize  their  congrega- 
tions as  Gospel  churches."  In  fact,  it  would  be  the  full 
indorsement  of  the  popish  dogma  of  baptismal  salvation, 
to  receive  Campbellites  to  our  communion,  or  to  commune 
with  them. 

In  conclusion,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  heaviest 
judgments  of  Almighty  God  fell  upon  ancient  Israel  for 


2G2  ^Restricted  Communion. 

mixed  fellowship,  mixed  worship,  and  mixed  marriages, 
with  the  surrounding  nations.  And  it  was  the  settled 
policy  of  the  enemies  of  Israel,  when  they  failed  to  subdue 
them  by  force,  to  try  to  seduce  them  to  commune  with 
them  in  their  worship.  And,  in  like  manner,  when  the 
various  opposing  parties  of  earth  have  failed  to  overthrow 
the  Baptists  by  fire  and  sword,  they  now",  in  order  to  get 
us  to  surrender  our  principles,  cry  ^^  charity,^'  and  propose 
to  commune  with  us.  When  Sanballat  and  Tobiah  failed 
to  hinder  the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  by  force,  they  then 
sent  messengers  to  persuade  Nehemiah  to  come  down  from 
his  work,  and  meet  them  in  council,  in  some  of  the  villages 
of  Ono :  but  they  thought  to  do  him  mischief.  And  so 
our  ecclesiastical  enemies,  who  have  failed  to  check  the 
progress  of  the  Baptist  denomination  by  physical  force, 
have  now  changed  their  policy,  and  wish  to  commune  with 
them  !  It  comes  with  an  ill  grace  from  the  members  of 
those  denominations  whose  skirts  are  all  stained  with  Bap- 
tist blood,  to  propose  now,  as  they  have  no  power  to  per- 
secute with  the  sword,  to  commune  with  the  Baptists. 

We  have  now  seen  that  the  peculiar  practice  of  the 
Baptists  in  regard  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  not  only  sus- 
tained by  the  Word  of  God  and  the  practice  of  the  first 
churches,  but  it  is  admitted  to  be  consistent  by  the  w^isest 
men  of  other  denominations. 


Section  IV. — Peculiarity  sixth — restricted  coi^r- 

MUNION — identified    AMONG    MODERN    BAPTISTS. 

It  is  wholly  unnecessary  to  array  many  proofs  on  this 
point.  The  standing  charge  of  ^^  close  communion  '^  is 
enough  to  settle  the  point,  that  Baptists  are  strict  in  their 


^Restricted  Communion  among  ^Baptists.    2G;> 

terms  of  communion.  Because  of  this  peculiar  feature  in 
i>aptist  practice,  they  are  called  "  uncharitable/'  "  selfish," 
*'  bi<^ote(l/'  and  '^  narrow-hearted/'  with  many  other  ugly 
names  of  reproach.  It  would  seem  that  our  opponents 
suppose  that  they  have  a  perfect  right  to  fix  any  terms  of 
communion  which  they  may  deem  proper.  They  have 
overlooked  the  fact,  tiiat  Jesus  Christ  has  fixed  the  terms 
of  ap})r()ach  to  the  table,  and  we  have  no  more  right  t(j 
change  his  order  than  we  have  to  establish  infant  baptism, 
or  any  other  Popish  ceremony.  The  complaint  ought  not, 
tlierefore,  to  be  made  against  Baptists,  but  against  him 
who  made  the  terms  ''  narrow. '^  In  fact,  the  reproach  of 
what  the  world  calls  ^'  close  communion  '^  falls  upon  him 
who  said,  '^  Straight  is  the  gate  and  narrow  is  the  way 
that  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it." 
Baptists  are  called  to  suffer  rei)roach  for  the  sake  of  Jesus 
Christ;  for  it  has  already  been  abundantly  proved  that 
the  Savior  instituted  the  Supper  as  held  by  the  Baptists. 
Restricted  comnmnion  is  practiced  by  about  fifteen  thou- 
sand Baptist  churches  in  America;  and  the  Baptist  pul- 
pit and  press  advocate  the  same  divinely  instituted  order. 
Strict  communion  is  distinctly  stated  in  the  various  ex- 
pressions of  faith  published  by  Baptists.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  books  and  tracts  have  been  written  in  defense  of 
tlie  ]^>ible  order  of  the  Supper.  Brethren  Kifiin,  Booth, 
Fuller,  and  Orchard  in  England,  and  in  America  nearly 
all  our  writers,  have  wielded  their  pens  against  "open 
conjumnion.^'  Amidst  the  multitude  of  writers  in  Amer- 
ica on  the  communion  question,  we  mention  the  names, 
Curtis,  Howell,  Waller,  and  Gardner,  who  have  produced 
books  in  defense  of  restricted  communion.  The  "  Church 
Communion/'  by  the  last-named  author,  is  a  newly-pub- 


264:  (Restricted  Corriniunion. 

lishcd  work  of  great  value.     It  is  conceded  that  some 

persons  called  Baptists  have  adopted  the  popular  system 

of  open  communion ;  but,  by  the  admission  of  nearly  all, 

they  are  inconsistent  with  their  own  professions,  and  they 

stultify  themselves  by  the  indorsement  of  the  things  which 

they  do  not  believe.    Professor  Curtis  aftirms,  truly,  that ; 

"The  principle  upon  which  mixed  com- 

'nn^    ^^  '    '^^*'    nwxwiow  vi^iita,  involves  a  hrcadi  of  trust ; 
p.  296.  '  '^ 

because  baptism  and  the  liord's  Supper 

are  committed  to  the  custody  and  guardianship  of  the  vis- 
ible churches  of  Christ,  as  such,  which  are  the  trustees,  the 
administrators  of  these  ordinances,  by  divine  appoint- 
ment.^' We  are  commanded  to  mark  them  which  cause 
divisions  contrary  to  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  and  "  avoid 
them;^^  but  our  open-communion  brethren  would  say, 
"commune  with  them"!  The  views  of  Baptists  are  ex- 
pressed in  the  twenty-second  article  of  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  published  by  Joseph  Belcher  in  the  Religious  De- 
nominations.    This  article  expresses  the  Baptist  doctrine 

of  communion  as  follows:  "The  Sup])er 

JicUgious  Daiom,,       p,i      t        it  •j.-xxii      i- 

(,^.3  '    01  the  Liovd  Jesus  was  instituted  by  him 

p.  203.  .  .  *' 

the  same  night  wherein  he  was  betrayed, 
to  be  observed  in  his  churches  unto  the  end  of  the  world, 
for  the  perpetual  remembrance,  and  showing  forth  the 
sacrifice  of  himself  in  his  death.'' 

As  the  communion  is  held  by  nearly  all  to  be  a  church 
ordinance,  therefore  none  except  church  members  can  ap- 
proach it  without  the  violation  of  the  order  of  the  Lord's 
house.  It  is  easy  to  see,  that  when  we  commune  with  all 
denominations,  we  admit  the  church  character  and  claims 
of  all  denominations;  and  we  thereby  indorse  the  ordi- 
nances and  superstitions  of  all  these  societies.     Baptists 


(Restricted  Coimnunioyi  ar^iong  (kapti:ts.    2G5 

do  not  regard  tliose  societies  of  human  origin  and  ordi- 
nances as  churches  of  Jesus  Christ,  and,  consequently, 
they  do  not  commune  with  them.  Baptists  are  not  charged 
with  holding  restricted  communion  for  worldly  gain  or 
popularity.  Considering  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  and 
the  desire  for  popular  favor,  together  with  the  tremendous 
pressure  brought  to  bear  against  Baptists,  it  is  a  matter 
of  wonder  that  they  withstand  the  popular  tide  even  as 
well  as  they  do.  We  find  the  Baptists  standing  alone, 
among  all  the  parties  of  Christendom,  in  the  preservation 
of  the  Lord's  table  in  his  kingdom,  by  the  withholding  of 
the  emblems  of  the  Savior's  broken  body  and  shed  blood 
from  those  wdio  have  not  been  buried  with  Christ  in  bap- 
tism upon  a  profession  of  faith  and  regeneration,  and  are 
without  true  church  fellowship. 


26G  The  True  Church  ([Persecuted. 


CHAPTER    XIA^ 

PECULIARITY  SEVENTH.— THE  TRUE  CHURCH  PERSE- 

CUTED. 

1.  Baptist  Peculiarity  Sevextu  — The  true  Church  Per- 

secuted— Tested  by  the  Bible. 

2.  Peculiarity    Sevexth   identified   ix    Modern    Baptist 

History. 

Section  I. — Baptist   peculiarity   seventh  —  the 

TRUE      CHURCH      PERSECUTED TESTED      BY     THE 

BIBLE. 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christy  the  Head  of  the  Churcli,  was 
sorely  persecuted.  His  enemies  sent  men  to  try  to  en- 
tangle him  in  his  teaching ;  they  assailed  his  character  with 
foul  slanders ;  and  at  last  they  put  him  to  the  shamefal 
death  of  the  cross.  The  Savior  was  sorely  persecuted  and 
maltreated  while  on  earth,  and  he  has  made  no  promise 
that  his  disciples  should  fare  better  than  himself  in  this 
respect ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  promised  persecu- 
tions as  a  part  of  their  inheritance.     Jesus  said  to  Peter : 

Mark  10 :  29,  30.     ''  ^'^''''^  \  ^'^  ""*''  y°"'  ^^'''"'  '^  "?  '"^'^ 
that  hath  left  house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters, 

or  father,  or  mother,  or  Avife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my 
sake,  and  the  Gospel's,  but  he  shall  receive  an  hundred- 
fold now  in  this  time,  houses,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  and 
mothers,  and  children,  and  lands,  with  persecutions ;  and 
in  the  world  to  come  eternal  life.''  How  emphatic,  every 
one  "shall  receive'^  "persecutions^'  as  a  part  of  his  present 
inheritance.  Again  :  Jesus  taught  that  we  must  not  expect 


Shown  from  the  (Bible.  267 

exemption  from  persecution,  when  he  said  :  "  It  is  enough 

for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his  master,  and     ,^      _    ^ 

^      ,.-,-,      .p    ,         ,  „    T     Matt.  10:  25. 

the  servant  as  his  lord :  ii  they  have  called 

the  master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  shall 
they  call  them  of  his  household  ?  ^'  Some  Christians  sup- 
pose that  they  are  to  live  in  peace  and  quiet  on  earth  ;  but 

Jesus  said :  '^  Think  not  that  I  am  come 

,     Matt.  10:  34-36. 
to  send  peace  on  earth  :  1  came  not  to  send 

peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at  vari- 
ance against  his  father,  and  the  daughter  against  her 
mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against  iier  mother-in- 
law.  And  a  man's  foes  shall  be  tliey  of  his  own  house- 
hold.^^ The  Savior  does  not  teach  that  the  faithful  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  will  itself  produce  war;  but  he  Avould 
inform  us  that  the  wickedness  of  the  human  family  is  so 
great  that  they  will  rise  in  rebellion  against  the  Gospel 
faithfully  preached,  and  persecute  those  who  forsake  all 
for  the  kingdom  of  God,  even  to  the  rending  asunder 

the  dearest  ties  on  earth.     Jesus  said :   '^  I     ^  , 

LuJx  12 :  49. 
am  come  to  send  fire  on  the  earth,  and  what 

will  I,  if  it  be  already  kindled  ?''     In  this  the  Savior 

taught  that  the  persecutions  against  himself  were  but  the 

kindling  of  a  fire  on  earth  which  would  rend  families  and 

friends  asunder.     We  are  further  informed  that  this  fire 

of  persecution  will  burn  so  fiercely  that  near  relatives  will 

deliver  each  other  to  death ;  for  Jesus  says  :  "  Behold,  I 

send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of     ,^      .^    .,  ... 
,     -^      ,  ,        ^  .  Matt.  10 :  16-22, 

wolves:  be  ye  thereiore  wise  as  serpents, 

and  harmless  as  doves.  But  beware  of  men  ;  for  they  will 
deliver  you  up  to  the  councils,  and  they  will  scourge  you 
in  their  synagogues ;  and  ye  shall  be  brought  before  gov- 
ernors and  kings  for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them 


2G8  Th(^  True  Church  (l^ersecuted. 

and  tlie  Gentiles.     But  when  they  deliver  you  up,  take  no 

thought  how  or  what  ye  shall  speak  ;  for  it  shall  be  given 

you  in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak.     For  it  is  not 

ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which  spcak- 

etli  in  you.     And  the  brother  shall  deliver  up  the  brother 

to  death,  and  the  father  the  child  :  and  the  children  shall 

rise  up  against  their  parents  and  cause  them  to  be  put  to 

death.     And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's 

sake :  but  he  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.^' 

Daniel  the  prophet  foresaw  the   fearful    persecutions 

waged  against  the  saints  of  God  by  the  Papal  horn ;  he 

^  „  ^^  said :  "  I  beheld,  and  the  same  horn  made 
Dan.  7:  21.  .  ,      i  .  i  .-,    -, 

war  with  the  sanits,  and  prevailed  against 

them."  The  crucifixion  of  Jesus  was  the  result  of  re- 
ligious hate  manifesting  itself  in  a  fiendish  persecution 
which  even  followed  his  dead  body  into  the  tomb.  Stephen 
fell  a  martyr  by  the  hand  of  relentless  persecution,  under 
the  shower  of  stones.  And  the  apostles,  all  except  John, 
died  a  violent  death,  because  of  their  faithful  testimony 
for  the  truth. 

But  we  are  not  to  become  discouraged  under  persecution, 
as  if  some  strange  thing  had  happened ;  for  all  these  afflic- 
tions, which  are  but  for  a  moment,  "  work- 
eth  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eter- 
nal weight  of  glory.''    Peter  says  :  "  Beloved,  think  it  not 

strano;e  concernino;  the  fiery  trial  which  is 
I  Peter  4.:  12,  13.        ^    ^  ,    ^    ,  ^    ^  ^,  . 

to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange  thing 

happened  unto  you :  But  rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are  par- 
takers of  Christ's  suiferings ;  that,  when  his  glory  shall 
be  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad  also  with  exceeding  joy." 

Jesus    consoled    the    disciples    as    follows : 
Matt.b:  10-12.  ,,-^,  ,  ,  i  •  i  .    i  x- 

^'  Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecutoa  lor 


2  Cor.  4:  17. 


Shoivn  from  the  (Bible.  269 

righteousness'  sake :  for  thcir's  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  perscc.t*^ 
you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely, 
for  my  sake.  Kcjoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad  :  for  great 
is  your  reward  in  heaven :  for  so  persecuted  they  the 
prophets  which  were  before  you.''  We  should  esteem  it  a 
great  honor  to  be  permitted  to  partake  of  the  sufferings  of 
Jesus  Christ  by  being  persecuted.  Paul  rejoiced  in  trib- 
ulations and  suiferings  for  the  cause  of  his  Master ;  he 
sums  up  his  afflictions  as  follows  :  "  Are  they  ministers  of 
Christ?  (I  speak  as  a  fool)  I  am  more; 
in  labors  more  abundant,  in  stripes  above 
measure,  in  prisons  more  frequent,  in  deaths  oft.  Of  the 
Jews  five  times  received  I  forty  stripes  save  one.  Thrice 
was  I  beaten  with  rods,  once  was  I  stoned,  thrice  I  suf- 
fered shipwreck,  a  night  and  a  day  I  have  been  in  the 
deep;  in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  waters,  in  perils 
of  robbers,  in  perils  by  mine  own  countrymen,  in  perils  by 
the  heathen,  in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilder- 
ness, in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among  false  b'^ethren  ; 
in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often,  in  hun- 
ger and  thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and  nakedness. 
Beside  those  things  that  are  without,  that  which  cometh 
upon  me  daily,  the  care  of  all  the  churches." 

Some  professed  Christians  are  popular  Avith  the  world ; 
but' to  them  the  Savior  says:  "Wo  unto  you,  when  all 

men  shall  speak  well  of  you !  for  so  did  their     ^  ,   ^    ^^ 

Luke  6:  26. 
lathers  to  the  lalse  prophets.       And  to  the 

same  effect  the  apostle  James  testifies,  as  follows :  "  Know 

ye  not  that  the  friendship  of  the  world  is 

enmity  with    God?     Whosoever,  therefore, 

will  be  a  friend  of  the  world,  is  the  enemy  of  God."    Thus 


270  The  Trvte  Church  (c^ersecuted. 

we  discover  that  those  miiiisters  and  members,  professed 
Christians,  who  enjoy  the  popuhir  favor  or  friendship  of 
the  world,  are  the  enemies  of  God;  and  consequently  they 
are  also  the  enemies  of  all  the  foithful  Christians  who  bear 
vritness  against  the  riders  of  the  darkness  of  this  world 
and  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places.  And  it  is  also  truC; 
that  these  ^'  Christians,"  enemies  of  God,  who  have  trans- 
formed themselves  into  ministers  of  Christ,  are  the  leaders 
in  persecuting  those  who  are  faithful  to  Christ.  Paul 
^  said  to  Timothy:  "Yea,  and  all  that  will 

live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  perse- 
cution.'' There  is  no  escape;  all  the  truly  godly  shall 
suffer  persecution;  and  Avhen  they  reach  heaven  it  will  be 
said  of  them :  "  These  are  they  which  came 
out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed 
their  robes,  and  made  them  while  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb."     And  of  these  bitter  persecutions  or  tribulations, 

,,    ,  the  Savior  further  said:  "Xow  the  brother 

iJ/arX13:12,13.    ^     ^,    ,  ,       i        i  -,1  -,      , 

shall  betray  the  brother  to  death,  and  the 

father  the  son ;   and  children  shall  rise  up  against  their 

parents,  and  shall  cause  them  to  be  put  to  death.     And  ye 

shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake ;  but  he  that 

shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved."    Luke 

reports  the  words  of  Jesus  on  this  point  thus:  "But  be- 

^  ,  ^  ,^  fore  all  these,  thev  shall  lay  their  hands  on 
Luke  21 :  12.  ^  ^         .  i  -, .        . 

you,  and  persecute  you,  delivering  you  up  to 

the  synagogues,  and  into  prisons,  being  brought  before 
kings  and  rulers  for  my  name's  sake."  In  the  fulfillment 
of  this  prediction  the  apostle  Paul  was  sorely  persecuted. 
Tertullus,  the  orator  employed  by  the  high  priest  and 
elders  to  prosecute  Paul  before  Felix,  the  governor,  ac- 
cused him  as  follows :    "  For  we  have  found  this  man  a  pes- 


(Baptists  ^erseciitcd.  '2'  1 


tilent  fellow,  and  a  mover  of  sedition  amonp; 

^     Acts  2- J ;  T). 
all  the  Jews  throughout  the  world,  and  a 

ringleader  of  the  sect  of  the  Nazarenes."  Again,  the 
apostle  speaks  of  the  persecutions  and  sufferings  of  the 
apostolic  ministry  in  the  following  :  ^'  Even  unto  this  pres- 
ent hour  Ave  both  hunger,  and  thirst,  and  ^ 
are  naked,  and  are  buffeted,  and  have  no 
certain  dwelling-place;  and  labor,  working  with  our  own 
hands:  being  reviled,  we  bless;  being  persecuted,  we 
suffer  it;  being  defamed,  we  entreat:  we  are  made  as  the 
filth  of  the  world,  and  are  the  offscouring  of  all  things  unto 
this  day."  It  can  nowhere  be  found  that  true  Christians 
will  be  popular  with  the  world.  No  .point  can  be  more 
fully  sustained  by  the  Scriptures  than  that  the  true  church 
or  kingdom  of  Jusus  Christ  was  peculiarly  persecuted,  and 
every-wherc  spoken  against  in  the  ap)ostolic  age.  This  was 
acknowledged  by  the  Jews  at  Rome,  in  the  following: 

"But  w^e  desire  to  hear  of  thee  what  thou      ,      ^^    ^^ 
,  .    ,  f.  .  1  .  Ads  28 :  22. 

thmkest:    lor   as   concernmg   this   sect,  w^e 

know  that  every-where  it  is  spoken  against." 


Sectio^t   II. — The   bible    characteristic  of   the 

TRUE  CHURCHES  OF  CHRIST  BEING  PECULIARLY 
PERSECUTED,  IDENTIEIED  IN  THE  MODERN  HISTORY 
OF  BAPTISTS. 

"While  other  denominations  dispute  among  themselves, 
they  unite  in  opposing  the  Baptists.  The  Baptists  are  the 
objects  of  derision  and  persecution  among  both  Catholics 
and  Protestants.  They  are  accounted  as  the  common 
enemy  of  sects,  creeds  and  formularies  of  the  whole  Cath- 
olic and  Protestant  world.     They  are  also  looked  u^xjn 


Th^  True  Church  Persecuted. 


\Yitk  suspicion  and  contempt  by  the  kings  and  tyrants  of 
eartii  as  the  enemies  of  all  governments.  Of  this  opposi- 
tion to  Baptists^  Mosheim,  the  historian^  says:  "Therts 
were   certain    sects    and    doctors   against 

05.  I.  IS  01  y,  ^^YiQ^-^  ^\^Q  2eal^  vigilance  and  severity  of 
Catholics,  Lutherans^  and  Calvinists,  were 
united,  and  in  opposing  whose  settlement  and  progress  these 
three  communions,  forgetting  their  dissentions,  joined  their 
most  vigorous  counsels  and  endeavors.  The  objects  of 
their  common  aversion  were  the  Anabaptists,  and  those 
who  denied  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  a  trinity  of  persons 
in  the  godhead.^^  Catholics  and  Protestants  still  agree  in 
that  opposition  to  Baptists. 

These  persecutions  against  Baptists  have  not  been  con- 
fined to  the  Old  World ;  but  the  relentless  hand  of  violence 
has  followed  them  to  America;  and  on  this  continent 
Baptists  have  been  banished,  fined,  imprisoned,  and  pub- 
licly whipped,  on  the  account  of  tlieir  principles.  A  law 
was  passed  in  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  in  1644,  for  the 
banishment  of  Baptists  for  the  rejection  of  infant  bap- 
tism. "And  in  1644,  a  poor  man,  by  the 
Religious Denom.,  i?  -o   •    x        i  -n      -•  .  j 

^^^  '  name  oi  raniter,  became  a  Baptist,  and 

was  complained  of  to  the  court  for  re- 
fusing to  have  his  child  baptized.  The  court,  with  judi- 
cial dignity,  interposed  their  authority  in  favor  of  the 
child.  And  because  the  poor  man  gave  it  as  his  opinion 
that  infant  baptism  was  an  anti-christian  ordinance,  Mie 
was,'  says  Backus,  Hied  up  and  whipped.'  "  And  in  the 
year  1651,  three  Baptist  ministers.  Dr.  John  Clarke,  Obe- 
diah  Holmes,  and  John  Crandal,  were  arrested  on  Lord's 
Day,  July  19th,  while  Clarke  was  preaching  in  a  private 
house,  and  the  next  day  were  committed  to  prison  in  Boston. 


Backus'  Ch.  His., 


Modem  (Baptists  (Persecuted.  273 

"And  on  July  31st  tliey  were  tried  before 
the  Court  of  Assistants,  by  whom  Clarke  ^^J^'^  ^'  ^■' 
was  fined  twenty  pounds ;  Holmes,  thirty, 
and  John  Crandal,  five  :  or  eaeh  to  be  well  whipped."  On 
the  payment  of  their  fines,  Clarke  and  Crandal  were  re- 
leased, but  Holmes  was  retained  in  prison  until  Septem- 
ber, when  he  was  publicly  whipped  most  cruelly  upon  his 
bare  back  ;  for  the  executioner,  "  striking 
with  all  his  strength,  spitting  in  his  hand  ^"^j!^' 
three  times,  with  a  three-corded  whip, 
giving  me  therewith  thirty  strokes,''  is  the  testimony  of 
Holmes  himself.  Two  men  w^ere  cast  into  prison  for 
showing  sympathy  to  Holmes  by  shaking  hands  with 
him  when  he  was  untied  from  the  whipping-post. 

In  order  to  show  the  various  inconveniences  and  trou- 
bles to  which  the  Baptists  were  subjected,  in  Massachu- 
setts, under  the  rul^  of  the  Puritan  Presbyterians,  Ave 
here  insert  a  long  letter,  addressed  to  the  Philadelphia 
Association,  in  the  year  1770.     It  is  as  follows : 

"^The  laws  of  this  province  never  were  intended  to 
exempt  the  Baptists  from  paying  toward 
buildino^  and  repairino^  Presbyterian  meet-  "  '  ^'^^  '  ^^^*' 
mg  houses,  and  makmg  up  Presbyterian 
ministers'  salaries;  for,  besides  other  insufficiencies,  they 
are  all  limited  both  as  to  extent  and  duration.  The  first 
law  extended  only  five  miles  round  each  Baptist  meeting- 
house; those  without  this  circle  had  no  relief,  neither  hud 
they  within  :  for,  though  it  exempted  their  polls,  it  lef: 
their  estates  to  the  mercy  of  harpies,  and  their  estates 
went  to  wreck.  The  Baptists  sought  a  better  law,  and 
with  great  difficulty  and  waste  of  time  and  money,  ob- 
tained it;  but  this  was  not  universal.     It  extended  not 


274  TJie  True  CJizirch  'Persecuted. 

to  any  parish  until  a  Presbyterian  meeting-house  should 
be  built,  and  a  Presbyterian  minister  settle  there;  in 
consequence  of  which  the  Baptists  have  never  been  freed 
from  the  first  and  great  expenses  of  their  parishes — ex- 
penses equal  to  the  current  expenses  of  ten  or  twelve 
years.  This  is  the  present  case  of  the  people  of  Ashfield, 
which  is  a  Baptist  settlement.  There  w^ere  but  five  fam- 
ilies of  other  denominations  in  the  place  when  the  Baptist 
church  was  constituted ;  but  those  five,  and  a  few  more, 
have  lately  built  a  Presbyterian  meeting-house  there,  and 
settled  an  orthodox  minister,  as  they  call  him  ;  which  last 
cost  them  £200.  To  pay  for  both,  they  laid  a  tax  on  the 
laud;  and,  as  the  Baptists  are  the  most  numerous,  the 
greatest  part  fell  to  tlieir  share.  The  Presbyterians,  in 
April  last,  demanded  the  money.  The  Baptists  pleaded 
poverty,  alleging  that  they  had  been  twice  driven  from 
their  plantations  by  the  Indians'  last  war;,  that  they  were 
but  new  settlers,  and  had  cleared  out  a  few  spots  of  land, 
and  had  not  been  able  to  build  commodious  dwelling- 
houses.  Their  tyrants  vrould  not  hear.  Then  the  Bap- 
tists pleaded  the  ingratitude  of  such  conduct;  for  they 
had  built  a  fort  there  at  their  own  expense,  and  had  main- 
tained it  for  two  years,  and  so  had  protected  the  interior 
Pi'esbyterians,  as  well  as  their  neighbors,  who  now  rose 
up  against  them ;  that  the  Baptists  to  the  westward  had 
raised  money  to  relieve  Presbyterians  who  had,  like  them, 
suffered  by  the  Indians;  and  that  it  was  cruel  to  take 
from  them  w^hat  the  Indians  had  left!  But  nothing 
touched  the  hearts  of  these  cruel  people.  Then  the  Bap- 
tists urged  the  law  of  the  province;  but  w^ere  soon  told 
that  that  law  extended  to  no  new  parish  till  the  meeting- 
house and  minister  were  paid  for.     Then  the  Baptists 


Modern  (Baptists  (Persecuted.  Tliy 

petitioned  the  general  court.  P»'occedIngs  were  stopped 
till  further  orders,  and  the  poor  people  went  home  rejoic- 
ing, thinking  their  property  safe ;  but  they  had  not  all  got 
home  before  said  order  came  ;  and  it  was  an  order  for  the 
l*resbyterians  to  proceed.  Accordingly,  in  the  month  of 
April,  they  fell  foul  on  their  plantations;  and  not  on 
skirts  and  corners,  but  on  the  cleared  and  improved  spots; 
and  so  have  mangled  their  estates  and  left  them  hardly 
any  but  a  wilderness.  They  sold  the  house  and  garden 
of  one  man,  and  the  young  orchards,  meadows,  and  corn- 
fields of  others;  nay,  they  sold  their  dead,  for  they  sold 
their  graveyards.  The  orthodox  minister  was  one  of  the 
purchasers.  These  spots  amounted  to  three  hundred  and 
ninety-five  acres,  and  have  since  been  valued  at  £363  8^., 
but  were  sold  for  £35  lO.S'.  This  was  the  first  payment. 
Two  more  are  coming,  which  will  not  leave  them  an  inch 
of  land  at  this  rate.  The  Baptists  waited  on  the  assem- 
bly live  times  this  year  for  relief,  but  were  not  heard, 
under  pretense  they  did  no  business;  but  their  enemies 
were  heard,  and  had  their  business  done.  At  last  the 
Baptists  got  together  about  a  score  of  the  members  at  Cam- 
bridge, and  made  their  complaints  known  ;  but,  in  general, 
they  were  treated  very  superciliously.  One  of  them  spoke 
to  this  effect:  ^The  general  assemhhj  have  a  right  to  do 
what  they  did,  and  if  you  donH  like  it,  you  may  quit  the 
place!'  But,  alas,  they  must  leave  their  all  behind! 
These  Presbyterians  are  not  only  supercilious  in  power, 
but  mean  and  cruel  in  mastery.  When  tliey  came  to- 
g(3thei'  to  mangle  the  estates  of  the  Baptists,  tiiey  diverted 
themselves  with  the  tears  and  lamentations  of  the  op- 
pressed. One  of  them,  whose  name  is  Wells,  stood  up  to 
j)rcach  a  mock  sermon  on  the  occasion;  and  among  other 


276  The  True  Church  (i^ersecuted, 

things,  used  words  to  this  effect :  ^  The  Baptists,  for  re- 
fasing  to  pay  an  orthodox  minister,  shall  be  cut  in  pound 
pieces,  and  boiled  for  their  fat  to  grease  the  deviVs  car- 
riage, etc' '' 

There  can  be  no  more  reliable  historical  document  than 
that  published  by  an  association  of  Baptists.  This  letter 
shows  that  the  Baptists  of  Ashfield,  Massachusetts,  had  their 
property  sold  by  the  Puritan  Presbyterians,  to  pay  for  the 
building  of  the  Presbyterian  meeting-house  and  the  salary 
of  the  Presbyterian  minister;  and  when  driven  out  of  their 
possessions  into  the  wilderness,  a  blasphemous  mock-sermon 
was  preached  to  aggravate  their  distress.  But  the  Baptists 
were  not  only  persecuted  in  Massachusetts  with  fines  and 
imprisonments ;  they  also  suffered  the  same  in  Virginia  and 

other  States.    As  many  as  "thirty  Baptist 

Bachus'  Ch.  His.,         '    •  .        ?;  •         •  i'-\7'-' 

^^^  '    ministers      were   imprisoned   in   Virginia 

"for   preaching    the    Gospel    to    precious 

souls;"  and  besides  the  imprisonment,  they  suffered  nearly 

all  kinds  of  abuse  and  insults  from  their  enemies.     Among 

these,  Ave  mention  the  names  of  James  Ireland  and  John 

Weatherford.     Ireland  was  seized  by  the  throat,  by  the 

officers  of  the  Established  Church,  while  engaged  in  prayer 

in  the  congregation;   and  they  immediately  hurried  him 

away  to  jail  in  Culpepper.    "He  was  ac- 
Virqinia  Baptist,  •   j  x         •  •  j  xi        i.  ^^  - 

M   '  f         121     companiedto  prison  amid  the  abuses  oi  his 

persecutors;  and  while  incarcerated  in  his 

cell,  not  only  suffered  by  the  extreme  inclemency  of  the 

weather,  but  by  the  personal   maltreatment  of  his  foes. 

They  attempted  to  blow  him  up  Avith  gunpowder,  but  the 

quantity  obtained  was  only  sufficient  to  force  up  some  of 

tlie  flooring  of  his  prison."    They  attempted  to  destroy  his 

life  by  suffocation,  from  burning  brimstone,  but   failed. 


Modern  ^Baptists  (Persecuted.  277 

They  also  formed  a  plot  to  poison  him,  wliich  was  unsuc- 
cessful. And  the  only  charge  laid  against  this  devoted 
man  of  God  was  that  of  "  preaching  the  G(jspel  of  the  Son 
of  God/'  During  his  imprisonment,  Elder  Ireland  en- 
joyed so  much  of  the  Divine  presence  that  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  call  his  prison  ^^my  palace  in  Culpepper/^ 

Elder  John  Weatherford  was  very  successful  in  his  min- 
istry. His  success  roused  the  resentment  of  his  Episcopal 
enemies,  and  he  was  soon  thrown  into  prison,  where  he 
remained  five  months.     But  ^^  his  courage 

forsook  hiui  not.     The  lovo  of  Christ  con-     ^^''^'''  ^'"1^' 

Minister,  p.  49. 
strained  him.     lie  preached  at  the  door 

of  the  prison  as  long  as  allowed  the  privilege;  when  re- 
fused that,  he  preached  through  the  grates  of  the  window. 
But  such  determined  opposition  did  he  meet,  that  an  effort 
was  made  by  his  enemies  to  put  a  stop  to  that  also.  Eor 
this  purpose,  they  built  an  outer  wall  above  the  grate. 
But  Weatherford  devised  means  to  overcome  the  obstacle. 
A  handkerchief,  by  tlie  congregation,  was  to  be  raised 
on  a  pole  above  the  wall,  as  a  signal  that  the  people  were 
ready  to  hear.  His  voice  being  very  strong,  he  could 
throw  it  beyond  these  impediments,  and  convey  the  words 
of  life  and  salvation  to  the  listening  crowd.  Before  his 
release,  some  souls  were  blessed,  and  he  was  owned  as  the 
honored  instrument  of  their  conversion."  Ministers  were 
sent  for,  who  baptized  the  converts  in  the  night  that  were 
thus  converted  under  the  preaching  of  this  jnisoner  of  the 
Lord  Jesus. 

The  following  account  is  given  by  Joseph  Belcher,  of 
an  instance  of  the  persecutions  of  a  Baptist  minister  by 
the  name  of  Shubael  Dimock,  in  Connecticut:  ^'Just  as 
Shubael  closed  his  sermon  at  a  school-house  in  Mansfield, 


278  The  True  Church  (Persecuted. 

a  sheriff  arrested  him,  upon  a  warrant  to  commit  him  to 

Windham  jail.     His  offense  was  as  follows:  ^The  said 

Shubael  Dimock  has  been  convicted  of 
Reliqiom  Denom,,  i  .        .  ^       i  -i  •      i\r        a   ^  ^ 

^_p  '   preaclimo;  in  a  school-house  m  Mansneld, 

and  under  an  oak  tree  in  Ashford.'  He 
was  required  to  walk  before  the  officer  to  prison.  But  he 
replied,  ^I  have  no  call  there;  neither  can  I  voluntarily 
go,  since  I  have  said^  God  willing,  I  Avill  preach  this 
evening  in  Ashford  under  the  oak  tree.^  The  officer  urged 
that  it  W3S  his  duty  to  commit  him  to  jail.  '  Well,  then,' 
said  the  prisoner,  ^If  you  have  a  duty  to  perform,  you 
must  attend  to  it ;  I  shall  not  resist.'  He  was  at  length 
set  upon  a  horse  and  directed  to  guide  it  to  AVindham. 
Even  this  he  refused  to  do,  and  the  sheriff  was  compelled 
to  mount  the  horse  behind,  and  with  his  arms  around  him 
to  guide  the  horse  to  the  prison.  Here  he  lay  confined 
nine  months,  still  proclaiming  the  truth  as  he  had  oppor- 
tunity, for  he  declared  that  it  was  impossible  to  prevent  his 
preaching  unless  they  cut  out  his  tongue."  Of  such  im- 
prisonments and  persecutions,  "  Many  instances  might  be 

given  :  such  as  that  on  June  4,  1768,  John 

Reliqious Denom.,    ^^r   ^^  t        •      r>,      •        t  /^i  m  i  i 

-.gQ  W  alker,  LfCwis  Craig,  James  Childs,  and 

others  were  dragged  before  the  magistrates 
in  Spottsylvania  county,  and  bound  over  for  trial.  Three 
days  after,  they  were  indicted  as  '  disturbers  of  the  peace.' 
The  prosecuting  attorney  made  this  formidable  charge; 
^  May  it  please  your  worships,  these  men  are  great  disturb- 
ers of  the  peace;  they  can  not  meet  a  man  in  the  road 
but  they  must  ram  a  text  of  Scri2)ture  down  his  throat.' " 
It  was  these  persecutions  against  the  Baptists  of  Virginia 
which  aroused  the  sympathies  of  the  renowned  Patrick 
Henry,  and  caused  him  to  volunteer  his  services  in  the 


Modern  ^Baptists  ^Persecuted,  279 

defense  of  the  poor  ministers  Avho  were  dragged  before  the 
court  as  criminals  ^^  for  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  Son 
of- God/' 

The  resistless  eloquence  of  Mr.  Henry,  poured  forth  in 
the  defense  of  three  Baptist  ministers,  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered by  the  friends  of  American  liberty.  From  the 
first  settlement  of  the  Baptists  in  America  down  to  the 
achievement  of  American  independence,  they  Avere  "in- 
sulted, fined,  imprisoned,  and  despised.'^  Nor  was  it  until 
compelled  by  law,  that  the  enemies  of  the  Baptists  ceased  to 
lay  violent  hands  on  them  on  account  of  their  principles. 
"VVe  are  glad  to  know  that  there  are  numbers  of  pious  per- 
sons in  the  various  communions  who  did  not  then,  nor  would 
they  now,  indorse  these  persecuting  measures  against  the 
Baptists.  But  circumstances  indicate  that  many  sectarian 
leaders  would  now  lay  violent  hands  on  faithful  Baptist 
ministers  as  in  former  times.  This  persecuting  spirit  is 
developed  from  day  to  day  in  the  sectarian  papers,  pam- 
phlets and  books  that  are  scattered  broadcast  over  the  land. 
The  following  is  found  in  the  Banner  of  Peace,  of  No- 
vember 26,  1868,  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  paper:  "I 
think  the  Baptist  Church  is  a  clear  despotism,  if  there  is 
one  on  earth ;  and  they  ought  to  cover  their  lips  and  bury 
their  faces  in  everlasting  shame,  and  cease  to  abuse  the 
papacy  of  Rome,  and  other  sects,  as  they  call  them." 
Elder  N.  H.  Lee,  of  the  Methodists,  says:  "It  is  not  the 
Baptist  people,  as  such,  that  I  oppose,  but  it  is  the  false 
principles  and  bigotry  of  her  priesthood. '^  No  doubt,  such 
Baptist  lovers  as  Elder  Lee,  and  the  Banner  of  Peace  {f), 
if  they  had  the  power,  would  attempt  to  force  Baptists,  not 
only  into  "everlasting  shame,''  but  to  prison  and  death, 
on  the  account  of  their  "  false  principles  and  bigotry,"  as 


280  TJie  Trite  Church  (Persecuted. 

their  Pedobaptist  ancestors,  the  Catholics,  have  always 
done  when  in  power. 

Tlie  country  is  fully  supplied  with  books  and  tracts 
pouring  their  wrath,  in  denunciations,  upon  the  Baptists 
on  the  account  of  their  doctrine.  Baptist  views  and  his- 
tory are  continually  misrepresented  and  perverted.  Some 
who  profess  great  friendship  for  Baptists,  try  to  associate 
their  history  with  the  mad  proceedings  of  Munster,  or 
with  the  nude  baptisms  of  the  Catholics.  And  he  who 
now  dares  to  faithfully  advocate  Baptist  principles,  in  con- 
trast with  the  ecclesiastical  inventions  of  modern  times,  is 
sure  to  be  followed  by  a  hungry  school  of  ecclesiastical 
sharks,  ready  to  devour  his  good  name,  and  stamp,  if  pos- 
sible, "everlasting  shame ^'  and  infamy  on  his  character. 
But  I  am  happy  to  know  that  there  are  vast  numbers  of 
pious  ])er,sous  in  the  various  sects  who  would  not  harm 
any  one  on  the  account  of  his  principles.  We  here  in- 
troduce the  speech  of  Patrick  Henry  in  defense  of  three 
Baptist  preachers  who  were  on  trial  for  preaching.  The 
following  quotation  is  from  the  Beligious  Denominations, 
by  Mr.  Belcher  :*  "  Three  Baptist  preachers  were  brought 
to  trial  for  preaching.  The  indictment  brought  against 
them  was  'For  preaching  the  Gospel  of 

^'^tei-l^r'''''  ^^  '^^'^  ""-f  ^^^''  c^ontrary  to  the  statute  in 
that  case  provided,  and  therefore,  disturb- 
ers of  the  peace.  The  clerk  was  reading  the  indictment 
in  a  slow  and  formal  manner,  and  he  pronounced  the  crime 
with  emphasis,  ^  For  pi^eaching  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God/  when  a  plain-dressed  man  dismounted  his  horse, 
entered  the  court-house,  and  took  his  seat  within  the  bar. 
He  was  know  n  to  the  court  and  lawyers,  but  a  stranger  to 
the  mass  of  spectators  who  had  gathered  on  the  occasion. 

'■'It  is  agreed  that  Patrick  Henry  did  defend  these  persecuted  Baptists,  but 
this  .'3  the  language  ascribed  to  him  by  Dr.  Peck. 


Modem  (Baptists  (Persecuted.  •  281 

This  was  Patrick  Plenry,  who,  on  hearing  of  this  prose- 
cution, had  rode  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  from  his  resi- 
dence in  Hanover  county,  to  volunteer  his  services  in  the 
defense  of  the  prisoners.  He  listened  to  the  further  read- 
ing of  the  indictment  with  marked  attention,  the  first  sen- 
tence of  which  that  had  caught  his  ear,  was, '  For  preach- 
ing the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.'  When  the  indict- 
ment had  been  read,  and  the  prosecuting  attorney  had  sub- 
mitted a  few  remarks,  Henry  arose,  stretched  out  his  hand 
and  received  the  paper,  and  then  addressed  the  court : 

^May  it  please  your  worships:  I  think  I  heard  read 
by  the  prosecutor  as  I  entered  this  house,  the  paper  I  now 
hold  in  my  hand.  If  I  have  rightly  understood,  the  king's 
attorney  of  this  colony  has  framed  an  indictment  for  the 
purpose  of  arraigning  and  punishment  by  imprisonment, 
three  inoffensive  persons  before  the  bar  of  this  court,  for  a 
crime  of  great  magnitude — as  disturbers  of  the  j^eace. 
jNIay  it  please  the  court,  what  did  I  hear  read?  Did  I 
hear  it  distinctly,  or  was  it  a  mistake  of  my  own?  Did  I 
hear  an  expression,  as  if  a  crime,  that  these  men,  wdiom 
your  worships  are  about  to  try  for  a  misdemeanor,  are 
charged  with — what ! '  and  continuing  in  a  low,  solemn, 
heavy  tone :  ^  For  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God ! '  Pausing,  amidst  the  most  profound  silence  and 
breathless  astonishment  of  his  hearers,  he  slowly  waved 
tho  paper  three  times  around  his  head,  then,  lifting  up  his 
hands  and  eyes  to  heaven,  with  extraordinary  and  im- 
pressive energy,  he  exclaimed,  '  Great  God  I '  The  ex- 
clamation— the  action — the  burst  of  feeling;  from  the  audi- 
ence  were  all  overpowering.     ]Mr.  Henry  resumed : 

*  May  it  please  your  worships :  In  a  day  like  this, 
when  truth  is  about  to  burst  her  fetters ;  when  manjiiind 


282  Th3  True  Chzirch  (Persecuted. 

are  about  to  be  raised  to  claim  their  natural  and  inaliena- 
ble rights ;  Avhen  the  yoke  of  oppression  which  has  reached 
the  wilderness  of  America,  and  the  unnatural  alliance  of 
ecclesiastical  and  civil  power  is  about  to  be  dissevered,  at 
such  a  period,  when  liberty — liberty  of  conscience  —  is 
about  to  awake  from  her  slumberings  and  inquire  into  the 
reason  of  such  charges  as  I  find  exhibited  here  to-day  in 
this  indictment !  ^  Another  fearful  pause,  while  the 
speaker  alternately  cast  his  sharp,  piercing  eyes  on  the 
court  and  the  prisoners,  and  resumed  :  ^  If  I  am  not  de- 
ceived, according  to  the  contents  of  the  paper  I  now  hold 
in  my  hand,  these  men  are  accused  of  ^  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel of  the  Son  of  God/ — Great  God  !  ^  Another  long 
■pause,  during  which  he  again  ^yaved  the  indictment  around 
his  head,  while  a  deeper  impression  was  made  on  the 
auditory.  Resuming  his  speech :  ^  May  it  please  your 
worships ;  there  are  periods  in  the  history  of  man,  when 
corruption  and  depravity  have  so  long  debased  the  human 
character  that  man  sinks  under  the  weight  of  the  oppress- 
or's hand  and  becomes  his  servile — his  abject  slave ;  he 
licks  the  hand  that  smites  him ;  he  bows  in  passive  obedi- 
ence to  the  mandates  of  the  despot,  and  in  this  state  of 
servility  he  receives  his  fetters  of  perj^etual  bondage.  But, 
may  it  please  your  worships,  such  a  day  has  passed  away ! 
From  the  period  when  our  fathers  left  the  land  of  their 
nativity  for  settlement  in  these  American  wilds — for  Lib- 
EUTY — for  civil  and  religious  liberty — for  liberty  of  con- 
science— to  worship  their  Creator  according  to  their  con- 
ceptions of  Heaven's  revealed  will, — from  the  moment 
they  placed  their  feet  on  the  American  continent,  and  in 
the  deeply  imbedded  forests  sought  an  asylum  from  per- 
secution and  tyranny — from  that  moment  despotism  was 


Modern  (Baptists  (Persecuted.  28o 

crushed ;  her  fetters  of  darkness  were  broken,  and  Heaven 
decreed  that  man  should  be  free — free  to  worship  God  ac- 
eoi'ding  to  the  Bible.  Were  it  not  for  this,  in  vain  have 
been  the  efforts  and  sacrifices  of  the  colonists ;  in  vain 
were  all  their  sufferings  and  bloodshed  to  subjugate  this 
new  world,  if  we,  their  offspring,  must  still  be  oppressed 
and  persecuted.  But,  may  it  please  your  worships,  permit 
me  to  inquire  once  more :  For  what  are  these  men  about 
to  be  tried  ?  This  paper  says,  ^  for  preaching  the  Gospel 
of  the  Son  of  God.'  Geeat  God  !  For  preachmg  the 
Savior  to  Adam's  fallen  race.' 

After  another  pause,  in  tones  of  thunder  he  inquired: 
^  What  law  have  they  violated  ? '  Then,  for  the 
third  time,  in  a  slow,  dignified  manner,  he  lifted  his  eyes 
to  heaven,  and  waved  the  indictment  around  his  head. 
The  court  and  the  audience  were  now  wrought  up  to  the 
most  intense  pitch  of  excitement.  The  face  of  the  pros- 
ecuting attorney  was  pale  and  ghastly,  and  he  appeared 
unconscious  that  his  whole  frame  was  agitated  with  alarm ; 
and  the  judge,  in  a  tremulous  voice,  put  an  end  to  the 
scene,  now  becoming  extremely  painful,  by  the  authorita- 
tive command  :  ^Sheriff J  discharge  those  men!^'' 

We  have  not  mentioned  a  tithe  of  the  persecutions 
waged  against  modern  Baptists.  I  must  express  the  de- 
liberate opinion,  that  if  the  men  who  denounce  and  mis- 
represent us  to  the  extent  of  their  ability,  only  had  the 
power,  they  would  apply  fines  and  imprisonments  as  did 
the  Episcopalians  in  the  time  of  Patrick  Henry. 

Other  authorities  might  be  introduced  to  exhibit  the 
bitterness  of  the  opposition  waged  against  Ba})tists  from 
the  modern  pulpit  and  press.  We  have  found  that  the 
Bible  characteristic  that  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  is 


284  The  True  CJnirch  (Persecuted. 

peculiarly  persecuted  and  every-where  spoken  against,  is 
fully  identified  in  the  modern  history  of  the  Baptists. 
They  have  been  persecuted  as  no  others  have  been,  Vv^ith 
peculiar  hate  and  unrelenting  bitterness.  We  now  come 
to  the  close  of  the  investigatioUj  which  settles,  beyond  suc- 
cessful contradiction,  the  fact  that  the  seven  leading  Bap- 
tist  peGuliarities  are  in  reality  the  Bible  peculiarities  pos- 
sessed by  the  apostolio  churches.  We  find  the  same  char- 
acteristic features  at  both  ends  of  the  chain  of  church  suc- 
cession. And  as  these  leading  marks  are  proved  to  be 
essential  features  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  in  its 
divine  organization,  and  the  prophetic  ^\•o^d  of  God  is 
pledged  for  the  perpetuity  of  tliis  cluirch  or  kingdom, 
therefore  we  may  expect  to  find  these  marks  of  identity 
possessed  by  the  same  kingdom  in  every  age  down  to  the 
present  time.  Though  ail  these  marks  may  not  be  visible 
at  the  same  time  to  the  eye  of  the  historian,  yet  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  them  may  be  discovered  to  indicate  the 
line  of  succession  of  that  church  against  which  the  gates 
of  hell  were  never  to  prevail.  Yv^e  will  proceed  in  the 
next  chapter  with  these  seven  Baptist  marks,  verified  by 
the  Scriptures,  as  a  kind  of  standard,  to  measure  the  dif- 
ferent periods  on  the  line  of  succession,  to  see  if  these  Bap- 
tist features  have  identified  the  church  from  the  apostolic 
age  down  to  the  present- 


(BoZpiist  Succession.  285 


CHAPTER   XV. 

PEIMITIVE  CHURCHES— FROM  THE  ESTABLISHMENT 
OF  THE  CHURCH  TO  THE  NOVATIAN  RUPTURE- 
A  PERIOD  OF  ABOUT  TWO  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY 
YEARS. 

1.  Pectjltaeities  applied  to  the  Primitive  Chukches. 

2.  Bishop  aitd  EldePv  the  same  Office. 

3.  Ehkoes  which  oeiginated  in  this  Period. 

Section  I. — Peculiaeities  applied  to  the  primi- 
tive CHUECHES. 

Ill  tlie  application  of  the  Baptist  peculiar  marks  to  this 
period,  very  little  more  remains  to  be  done,  because  it  has 
already  been  fully  established  that  these  Baptist  marks 
are  really  the  marks  of  the  apostolic  churches.  There  has 
arisen  no  dispute  among  historians  that  the  main  body  of 
Christian  churches  bore  the  apostolic  character  during  the 
period  we  now  have  under  consideration.  It  may,  there- 
fore, be  considered  as  settled,  that  the  primitive  churches, 
down  to  the  middle  of  the  third  century,  in  the  main,  pos- 
sessed the  Bible  peculiarities ;  and,  as  these  Bible  peculiari- 
ties are  also  the  Baptist  peculiarities,  therefore  these  prim- 
itive churches  possessed  the  Baptist  peculiarities.  As  re- 
gards peculiarity  first,  which  recognizes  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  Head  and  Founder  of  his  church,  up  to  this  time 
none  had  dared. to  deny  the  supremacy  of  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  Founder  and  Head  of  his  own  church.  In  speaking 
of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Founder  and  Head  of  the  model 
church  at  Jerusalem,  ^Ir.  Jones,  the  historian,  says  :  "  If 


286  (primitive  C  J  lurches. 

this  be  a  just  representation  of  the  church  or  kingdom  of 
Christ  as  it  appeared  in  its  establishment, 
.'  *  *'  it  is  manifest,  that  whenever  we  trace  it 
in  subsequent  periods^  we  must  find  some- 
thing that  resembles  it  in  its  leading  features.  We  shall 
discern  a  people  holding  tlie  same  views  of  the  character 
and  work  of  the  Savior,  owning  subjection  to  him  as  the 
king  whom  God  hath  set  upon  his  holy  hill  of  Zion,  evinc- 
ing their  allegiance  to  him  by  an  implicit  obedience  to  his 
laws,  institutions,  and  ordinances,  and  discarding  the  doc- 
trines and  commandments  of  men.  As  the  church  at  Jeru- 
salem was  the  first  Christian  church  established  by  the 
ministry  of  the  apostles,  so  it  was  designed  to  serve  as  a 
pattern,  in  its  faith  and  order,  to  all  succeeding  churches 
to  the  end  of  the  world." 

It  is  admitted,  that  the  churches  of  these  early  times 
were  all  modeled  after  the  Jerusalem  pattern ;  and,  of 
course,  they  acknowledge  Jesus  as  their  Founder  and 
Head,  because  the  Jerusalem  church — the  pattern — had 
the  Savior  as  its  Founder  and  King.  That  these  early 
churches  had  no  human  head,  is  seen  in  the  following, 
from  Mosheim,  the  historian  :  "  The  people  were,  un- 
doubtedly, the  first  in  authority ;  for  the 
Mos^Ch. History,    ^^p^g^i^g  showed,  by  their  own  example, 

that  nothina:  of  moment,  was  to  be  carried 
on  or  determined  without  the  consent  of  the  assembly; 
and  such  a  method  of  proceeding  was  both  prudent  and 
necessary  in  those  critical  times." 

This  point  was  settled  in  the  Bible  investigation,  which 
proved  that  the  Baptist  doctrine,  which  recognizes  Jesus 
as  the  Founder-  and  Head  of  his  church,  is  also  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Word  of  God.     AVe  may  conclude,  therefore, 


burial  in  (Baptism.  287 

that  the  churches  of  this  j)rlmitlve  period  retained  the 
J]ible  teaching,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  Founder  and 
Head  of  his  churcli. 

As  re<^ards  the  second  and  third  peculiarities,  which  ac- 
knowledge the  Scriptures  as  the  rule  of  faith  and  practice 
and  the  divine  order  of  the  commandments,  history  af- 
fords no  evidence  that  any  other  stanchird  of  faith  except 
the  Scriptures  had  been  adopted  in  this  period ;  and,  con- 
sequently, the  order  of  the  commandments  remained  un- 
changed, and  therefore  these  early  churches  bore  the  .sec- 
ond  and  third  peculiarities  of  the  Baptists  as  laid  down 
in  our  catalogue.  During  this  period  the  Christians  had 
no  human  creeds  or  confessions  of  faith  prepared  by  eccle- 
siastical reformers  to  govern  the  churches.  Their  appeal 
was  to  the  laws  of  Jesus  Christ  as  given  by  the  apostles 
in  all  matters  of  religion. 

It  is  also  easily  established  that  these  early  churches 
bore  the  peculiarity  which  requires  the  burial  in  baptism 
of  those  who  are  dead  to  sin.  Mosheim  says  of  this  period  ; 
'^  The  sacrament  of  baptism  was  administered  in  this  cen- 
tury (the  first)  without  the  public  assem- 
blies,  m  places  appointed  and  prepared  lor       ,.^  '^' 

that  purpose,  and  was  performed  by  an 
immersion  of  the  whole  body  in  the  baptismal  font." 

There  was  no  sprinkling  or  infant  baptism  known  In 
the  -first  century.     The  whole  body  was  buried  or  im- 
mersed in  the  baptismal  font.     And,  of  the  second  cen 
tury,  the  same  historian  testifies  as  follows  :  "  The  persons 
that  were  to  be  baptized,  after  they  liad  re- 
peated the  creed,  confessed  and  renounced    ^^'^'-^^''^^'^'^^'11' 

.      .  .  .  P-  "i'' 

their  sins,  and  particularly  the  devil  and 

his  pompous  allurements;  were  inmiersed    under  water. 


288  (Primitive  Clmrche:. 

and  received  into  Christ's  kingdom  by  a  solemn  invoca- 
tion of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  the 
ex])ress  command  of  our  blessed  Lord." 

It  was  not  until  about  the  commencement  of  the  third 

century  that  tlie  error  of  baptismal  salvation  began  to  be 

introduced.    On  this  point  George  Waddington,  the  learned 

Episcopal  historian,  remarks:    ^' The  original   simplicity 

of  the  office  of  baptism  had  already  un- 

Il'iS.  of  the  Church,      i  j.-  rpi  \      ^ 

^j'  '  dergone   some   corruption.     Ihe    symbol 

had  been  gradually  exalted  at  the  expense 
of  the  thing  signitied,  and  the  spirit  of  the  ceremony  was 
beginning  to  be  lost  in  its  form.  Hence  a  belief  was  gain- 
ing ground  among  the  converts,  and  was  inculcated  among 
the  heathen,  that  the  act  of  baptism  gave  remission  of  all 
sins  committed  previously  to  it."  It  was  thus  in  the  early 
part  of  the  third  century  that  the  doctrine  of  baptismal 
salvation  gained  ground,  especially  in  Africa.  Neander, 
the  celebrated  historian,  sustains  this  view  in  the  follow- 
ing language:  "But  while,  on  the  one 
ITis.  Three  Centur    i         i    .1        i      ,    •  p  -1  -  •  ^ 

^^^.  hand,  the  doctrine  01  the  corruption  and 

guilt  inherited  by  human  nature,  as  the 
consequence  of  the  tirst  transgression,  was  reduced  into  a 
more  systematic  and  distinct  form,  which  was  particu- 
larly the  case  in  the  North  African  Chui?ch  (See  below, 
in  the  history  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity),  on  the 
other  hand,  from  want  of  proper  distinction  between  the 
external  and  internal  things  of  baptism  (the  baptism  of 
water,  and  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit),  the  idea  was  forever 
gaining  ground,  and  becoming  more  firmly  fixed,  that 
without  outward  baptism  no  one  could  be  freed  from  that 
inherited  guilt,  saved  from  the  eternal  punishment  which 
threatened  him,  or  brought  to  eternal  happiness;  and  v.'hile 


(Burial  of  the  (Dead  to  Sin.  289 

the  idea  of  the  magical  effects  of  the  sacrament  was  con- 
stantly obtaining  more  and  more  sway,  the  theory  of  the 
luiconditlonal  necessity  of  infant  baptism  developed  itself 
from  that  idea.^  Here  Ncander,  the  Lutheran  historian, 
testifies  that  baptismal  salvation  gained  ground  in  the  early 
part  of  the  third  century;  and  that  infant  baptism  was 
developed  from  it;  therefore,  it  was  the  error  of  baptismal 
salvation  which,  brought  forth  infant  baptism.  Now,  as 
we  have  the  testimony  of  Neander  that  neither  baptismal 
salvation  nor  infant  baptism  prevailed  in  the  primitive 
churches — and  we  have  already  seen  that  they  buried  their 
converts  in  baptism — therefore,  peculiarity  fourth,  the 
burial  in  baptism  of  those  who  are  dead  to,  or  freed  from, 
sin,  is  sustained  in  the  practice  of  those  primitive  churclies. 
On  the  question  of  the  action  of  baptism,  Neander  affirms 

that:    "Baptism  w^as  originally  adminis- 

,        1  1      •  •  1  r>  ,  1  His.  Three  Centu- 

tered  by  immersion,  and  many  ot  the  com-      .         ,„_ 

parisons  of  St.  Paul  allude  to  this  form  of 
its  administration  :  the  immersion  is  a  symbol  of  death, 
of  being  buried  with  Christ;  the  coming  forth  from  the 
water  is  a  symbol  of  a  resurrection  with  Christ:  and  both 
taken  together,  represent  the  second  birth,  the  death  of  the 
old  man  and  a  resurrection  to  a  new  life.'^  The  intro- 
duction of  affusion  for  baptism  only  began  to  be  prac- 
ticed near  the  close  of  this  period  in  some  sections,  in  the 
case  of  clinics — namely,  sick  persons.  All  candid  histori- 
ans agree  that  believer's  immersion  Avas  the  prevailing 
practice  of  the  primitive  churches;  and,  as  will  be  seen 
hereafter,  the  same  prevailed  almost  universally  for  1,300 
years.  The  point  is  clearly  made  out,  that  the  primitive 
churches  possessed  the  leading  characteristic  peculiarity 
of  the  burial  in  baptism  of  professed  believers — tlio  i-cgen- 


290  (Primitive  Churches. 

en\te.  It  is  also  clearly  established  that  the  primitive 
churches  retained  j^cculiarity  fifth,  ^vhich  recognizes  equal 
rights  in  the  execution  of  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Mr.  Waddington  says :  "  It  is  also  true  that  in  the  ear- 
liest   government    of  the    first    Christian 

'^'oA  01     "^''^^'  societv,  that  of  Jerusalem,  not  the  elders 
pp.  20,  21.  •' '  ' 

only,  but  the  whole  church  were  associ- 
ated with  the  apostles  :  andxit  is  even  certain  that  the  terms 
bishop  and  elder,  or  presbyter,  were,  in  the  first  instance, 
and  for  a  short  period,  sometimes  used  synonymously,  and 
indiscriminately  applied  to  the  same  order  in  the  ministry. '^ 
Yes:  it  is  true  that  in  the  earliest  government  of  the 
Christian  churches,  the  whole  church  were  associated 
together.  This  description  can  now  apply  to  no  denomi- 
nation except  the  Baptists.  All  other  denominations  make 
various  distinctions  in  point  of  privilege  among  their 
members,  and  are  not  associated  in  church  discipline,  or 
the  execution  of  the  law^s  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  same  his- 
torian remarks,  that :  "  In  this  election 
JTis.  of  the  Church,   /   ^        j.       \  .^  1     i      i  i    i 

23  (01  pastors)  the  people  had  an  equal  share 

with  the  presbyters  and  inferior  clergy, 
without  exception  or  distinction ;  and  it  is  clear  that  their 
right  in  this  matter  was  not  barely  testimonial,  but  judi- 
cial and  elective.  This  appointment  was  final,  requiring 
no  confirmation  from  the  civil  power  or  any  superior  pre- 
late; and  thus,  in  the  management  of  its  internal  affairs, 
every  church  was  essentially  independent  of  every  other." 
The  same  is  confirmed  by  the  learned  Mosheim,  who  says : 

*^It  was,  therefore,  the  assembly  of  the 
'     *'     '    ^^'    people  which  chose  rulers  and  teachers,  or 

received  them  by  free  and   authoritative 


Equality  in  (Primitive  Churches.         291 

consent  when  recommended  by  others.  The  same  people 
rejected  or  confirmed,  by  their  suffrages,  the  laws  that 
M'ere  proposed  by  their  rulers  to  the  assembly  ;  excommu- 
nicated profligate  and  unworthy  members  of  the  church; 
restored  the  penitent  to  their  forfeited  privileges;  passed 
judgment  upon  the  different  subjects  of  controversy  and 
dissention  that  arose  in  their  community;  examined  and 
decided  the  disputes  which  happened  between  the  elders 
and  deacons;  and,  in  a  word,  exercised  all  that  authority 
which  belongs  to  such  as  are  invested  with  sovereign 
jwwer/^ 

This  description  of  the  churches  of  this  early  period  will 
apply  to  no  denomination  on  earth,  known  to  me,  except 
the  Baptists.  Again,  Mosheim  says:  "A 
bishop  [or  pastor,]  during  the  first  and  '^**  '  ^  ^^' 
second  century,  was  a  person  who  had  the 
care  of  one  Christian  assembly,  which,  at  that  time  was, 
generally  speaking,  small  enough  to  be  contained  in  a 
private  house.  In  this  assembly  he  acted,  not  so  much 
with  the  authority  of  a  master,  as  with  the  zeal  and  dili- 
gence of  a  faithful  servant.^'  It  can  be  amply  sustained, 
from  a  multitude  of  historians  of  different  parties,  that 
the  primitive  churches,  next  to  the  apostolic  age,  main- 
tained the  equality,  in  point  of  privilege,  of  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  churches,  in  the  execution  of  church  disci})line, 
which  characterized  the  apostolic  churches,  and  which 
now  distinguish  the  Baptists  from  all  other  denominations 
of  Christendom. 

'  Some  persons  seem  to  regard  the  form  of  church  gov- 
ernment a  very  trivial  affair,  and  conclude  that  it  matters 
very  little  whether  the  church  government  is  a  monarchy, 
aristocracy,  or  a  democracy;  and  that  a  privileged  class  of 


292  (Primitive  Churches. 


men  have  a  perfect  right  to  make,  change  or  abolish  church 
laws,  rites  and  ceremonies,  at  pleasure.  Such  persons  deny 
that  Jesus  Christ  made  any  laws  whatever  for  the  govern- 
ment of  his  own  kingdom !  These  have  partaken  of  the 
blasphemy  of  the  little  horn,  of  whom  it  was  said  :  "And 
7  9-  ^^^  shall  speak  great  words  against  the  Most 
High,  and  shall  wear  out  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High,  and  think  to  change  times  and  laws." 

As  all  the  false  churches  were  set  up  and  introduced  by 
preachers,  they  have  not  failed  to  make  ample  provision 
for  their  own  elevation  and  authority  in  those  organiza- 
tions ;  but  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  we  find  the  people 
equal  in  authority  in  all  matters  of  discipline,  even  to  the 
trial  of  preachers  themselves.  In  regard  to  this  equality 
in  the  early  churches,  Mr.  Robinson,  the  historian,  says : 

"In  the  first  period,  which  includes  three 

Bob.^s  Eccl.  Res.,  j.      •         r^i     •  j.*  -j.    i  •      j. 

.^^  '    centuries,  Christians  were  united  as  lust 

p.  123.  \  .  "^ 

now  mentioned.  It  was  an  union  or  com- 
pact, tacit  or  expressed,  and  the  discipline  was  a  confeder- 
ate equality.  Nobody  Avas  compelled  to  joiri.  a  church ; 
each  was  admitted  singly,  at  his  own  request,  by  the  con- 
sent of  the  whole  society ;  affairs  were  debated  and  trans- 
acted by  all;  whoever  were  excluded,  were  excommuni- 
cated by  joint  consent,  and  if  they  repented  and  requested 
re-admission,  they  Avere  re-admitted  in  the  same  manner; 
church  officers  were  voluntarily  elected  for  the  sake  of  or- 
der; no  society  had  any  control  over  another, —  advice 
might  be  given,  but  civil  coersion  was  unknown :  the 
whole  was  a  state  of  perfect  popular  freedom ;  —  this  Avas 
a  fraternal  system  of  order."  Thus,  Ave  find  the  practice 
of  the  primitiA^e  churches  in  perfect  harmony  Avith  the 
Scriptures  and  the  churches  under  apostolic  direction. 


Equality  in  the  (Pfimitive  Churches,      293 

Miall,  in  his  Memorials  of  Early  Christianity,  declares : 
"  That  each  Christian  church  was,  in  the 
earliest  period  of  ecclesiastical  history,  in-    fiu^-^f    ^/ 
dividualized  and  unassociated,  except  by 
the  religious  feelings  which  alike  pervaded  all,  is  ad- 
mitted by  the  most  candid  historians.'^    And  this  liberty 
and  equality  in  the  transaction  of  church  business  ex- 
tended to  all  classes  of  members.     Women  Avere  allowed 
to  vote  in  church  business.     On  this  point,  Neander  re- 
marks :  "As  Christianity  did  not  annihilate 
,1  T  "   1.       €■  X  His.   Three  First 

the  peculiar  arrangements  ot  our  nature,    ^    ,   ,. 

founded  in  the  laws  of  our  original  crea- 
tion, but  sanctified  and  ennobled  them,  it  did  not  (al- 
though, in  reference  to  the  higher  life,  the  partition-wall 
between  man  and  wife  was  taken  aw^ay  through  Christ, 
and  in  him  man  and  wife  became  one),  it  did  not,  I  say, 
allow  the  female  sex  to  step  out  of  the  peculiar  habits  and 
destination  indicated  for  it  by  nature  herself.  AVomen 
alone  are  interdicted  by  St.  Paul  (1  Cor.  xiv :  34)  from 
speaking  in  the  church  —  a  proof,  also,  that  no  other  ex- 
ception from  this  general  right  of  all  Christians  existed.'' 
The  historian  here  draws  the  conclusion,  very  justly,  we 
think,  that  women  are  privileged  to  exercise  all  the  duties 
of  other  members,  unless  interdicted  by  Inspiration.  They 
were  only  forbidden  to  speak  on  certain  occasions  in  the 
church,  which  indicates  the  right  for  them  to  exercise  the 
other  duties  of  church  members.  And  in  this  early  period, 
slaves  themselves  were  not  prohibited  from  the  exercise  of 
equal  privilrges  with  other  members.  On  this  point,  Mr. 
Robinson  remarks,  that :   "  It  is  clear  that 

such  slaves  as  chose  to  become  Christians      ^^1^    '^*    ^-^  '' 

p.  GOO. 

woi'e  treated  by  the  churches  as  brethren — 


294  (Primitive  Churches. 

were  admitted  to  fellowship,  and,  in  all  religious  matters, 
put  on  a  footing  of  equality  with  their  masters.  It  was  a 
character  to  the  Gospel  that  it  was  embraced  by  freemen — 
that  slaves  very  seldom  appeared  in  the  primitive  churches, 
and  that,  when  they  did,  they  appeared  without  compul- 
sion— not  as  slaves  but  as  brethren/^  Other  authorities 
might  be  adduced  on  this  point;  but  it  is  unnecessary:  for 
it  is  established,  beyond  reasonable  doubt,  that  the  primi- 
tive churches,  during  this  period,  possessed  the  Bible 
characteristic  which  now  distinguishes  the  Baptists — the 
equality  of  jprivilege  in  the  execution  of  the  laws  in  the 
kingdom  of  Clirist. 

Furthermore  :  there  is  no  difficulty  in  proving  that  the 
primitive  churches  retained  the  sixth  peculiarity.  It  is 
already  settled  that  the  churches  planted  by  the  apostles 
were  strict  in  their  terms  of  communion.  And  as  the  Bible 
demands  strict  communion — and  it  is  admitted  that  the 
primitive  churches  conformed  to  the  Bible  in  this  particu- 
lar— therefore  it  is  admitted  that  the  primitive  churches 
were  strict  in  their  terms  of  communion.  And  no  one  will 
contend  that  the  primitive  churches  communed  with  the 
modern  sects  that  now  demand  communion  with  Baptists; 
and,  therefore,  those  who  commune  with  these  sects  find 
neither  precept  nor  example  in  the  Word  of  God,  or  in  the 
churches  that  flourished  immediately  after  the  apostolic  age, 
for  such  an  inconsistent  practice.  The  mighty  flood  of  per-' 
secution  against  the  early  Christians  was  not  intended  to 
make  them  give  up  their  religion,  but  to  force  them  to 
acknowledge  the  validity  of  pagan  worship  by  burning 
incense  to  their  gods,  and  thus  communing  with  them. 
They  were  persecuted,  not  because  they  professed  the 
Christian  religion,  but  because  they  claimed  it  as  the  only 


(kestricted  Cc^nmunion.  295 

true  religion.  They  would  not,  by  any  act  of  affiliation  or 
communion,  recognize  the  authority  of  the  pagan  worship. 
Pliny,  the  younger,  said  of  them  :  "For  I 
did  not  in  the  least  hesitate,  but  that  what-  ^^^^  *  ''^'' 
ever  should  appear  on  confession  to  be  their 
faith,  yet  that  their  forwardness  and  inflexible  obstinacy 
would  certainly  deserve  punishment.'^  But  Mr.  Jones 
asks:  "What  was  the  ^inflexible  obstinacy?'  It  could 
not  be  in  f)rofessing  a  new  religion  ;  that  v»'as  a  thing  com- 
mon enough.  It  was  the  refusing  all  communion  with 
paganism — refusing  to  throw  a  grain  of  incense  on  their 
altars.  For  we  must  not  think,  as  is  commonly  imagined, 
that  this  was  at  first  enforced  by  the  magistrate  to  make 
them  renounce  their  religion;  but  only  to  give  a  test  of 
its  hospitality  and  sociablcness  of  temper.  It  was,  indeed, 
and  rightly,  too,  understood  by  the  Christians  to  be  a  re- 
nouncing of  their  religion,  and  so,  accordingly,  abstained 
from.  The  misfortune  was,  that  the  pagans  did  not  con- 
sider the  inflexibility  as  a  mere  error,  but  as  an  immoral- 
ity likewise.  This  unsociable,  uncommunicable  temper  in 
matters  of  religious  worship,  \vas  esteemed,  by  the  best  of 
them,  as  a  hatred  and  aversion  to  mankind.  Thus,  Taci- 
tus, speaking  of  the  burning  of  Rome,  calls  Christians 
*  persons  convicted  of  hatred  to  all  mankind.'  But  how?. 
The  confessions  of  the  pagans  themselves  concerning  the 
purity  of  the  Christian  morals,  shows  this  could  be  no 
other  than  a  being  ^convicted'  of  rejecting  all  intercom- 
munity of  worship, — which,  so  great  was  their  prejudice, 
they  thought  could  proceed  from  nothing  but  hatred  to- 
ward mankind.  Universal  prejudice  had  made  men  re- 
gard a  refusal  of  this  intercommunity  as  the  most  brutal 
of  all  dissociability.     And  the  Emperor  Julian,  who  un- 


29 G  (Primitive  Chtivches. 

derstood  this  matter  the  best  of  any,  fairly  owns  that  the 
Jews  and  Christians  brought  the  execration  of  the  world 
upon  them  by  their  aversion  to  the  gods  of  paganism,  and 
their  refusal  of  all  communication  with  them/' 

The  whole  sectarian  world,  which  may  be  regarded  as 
Christianized  paganism,  now  look  upon  the  true  Baptists 
in  a  similar  light  as  did  the  ancient  pagans  upon  the  early 
Christians  who  refused  all  communion  with  them.  In 
truth,  the  above  quotation  from  Jones,  with  very  little 
modification,  will  now  represent  the  views  and  feelings  of 
other  denominations  toward  Baptists.  These  denomina- 
tions accuse  us,  as  the  pagans  did  the  early  Christians, 
with  "refusing  all  communion  with"  them;  with  being 
"unsociable"  "and  uncommunicable;"  of  temper  "in  mat- 
ters of  religious  worship;"  and  with  being  "persons  con- 
victed of  hatred  to  all"  other  denominations.  But  we  re- 
joice in  the  fact  that  we  are  now  reproached  for  the  very 
same  practice  that  brought  reproach  upon  the  first  Chris- 
tians after  the  apostolic  age.    And  Mosheim  says,  in  regard 

to  the  catechumens,  that:  "  The  latter  w^ere 
21  '  swc\\  as  had  not   yet  been   dedicated  to 

God  and   Christ  by  baptism,  and   were, 

therefore,  neither  admitted  to  the  public  prayers  nor  to 

the  holy  communion,  nor  to  the  ecclesiastical  assemblies." 

These  catechumens  who  were,  in   the  latter  part  of  the 

■second  century,  considered  imperfect  Christians,  Avere  not, 

ns  unbaptized  persons,  admitted  to  the  communion  of  the 

ch  arch.     Justin  Martyr,  who  wrote  his  apology,  which  was 

addressed  to  the  Emperor  Antoninus  Pius,  about  the  year 

138  after  Christ,  speaks  of  the  order  of  bap- 
Memo.  of  Early     , .  -,  .  i    i  i      t»  r-   1 1 

Christ    p  182        tism  and  communion,  as  reported  by  Miall, 

as  follows:    "He  speaks   of  the  received 


(Restricted  Ccmmunion.  297 

and  baptized  convert  admitted  by  the  kiss  of  peace,  and 

of  the   administration    of  the   eucharist  to  the  convert 

so  baptized  by  the  presiding  bishop;  which  observance  he 

dechires  the  heathens  to  have  imitated  in  the  Mithryan 

mysteries."     Thus  we  find,  that  in  the  second  century 

baptism  preceded  the  Lord's  Supper.     Miall  also  affirms 

that,  "  The  Lord's  Supper  was  not  indis- 

•     •      ,1         1     •    •  -         11'  1     Memo,  of  Early 

crimmately  administered — being  reserved    ^,   .      -'    oo^ 

for  those  who  had  been  baptized,  and  who 
had  previously  received,  according  to  the  expression  of 
Tertullian,  ^  pious  initiation.' "  This  last  writer  was  speak- 
ing of  the  practice  of  communion  in  the  third  century. 
The  ancient  Pedobaptists  were  more  consistent  than  the 
modern,  on  the  communion  question;  for,  when  infant 
baptism  was  first  introduced  on  the  ground  of  its  necessity 
to  infant  salvation,  infant  communion  was  aslo  connected 
with  it  for  the  same  purpose.  Modern  Pedobaptists  with- 
hold the  Supper  from  their  infant  members,  whom  they 
regard  as  in  the  church ;  and  yet  they  complain  of  Bap- 
tist "close"  communion!  Neander,  speaking  of  the  rise 
of  infant  baptism  and  communion,  remarks:   "As  it  was 

in  the  North  African  Church  that  the  ne- 

•  ,         /?•/?,    1,-  £.     i.  Nean.  Hist  Three 

cessity  ot  iniant  baptism  was  iirst  pecu-  ^<    ^    .         r,.-, 

.      .       ,  Til..  Centuries,  p.  213. 

liarly  insisted   on,  so  also  did  they  join 

with  this  notion  that  of  infant  communion.^'  But  enouo:h 
on  this  point :  no  one  pretends  that  the  true  churches  of 
tliis  period  practiced  open  communion.  Thus  it  is  fully 
developed  that  the  Bible  peculiarity,  which  is  also  a  Bap- 
tist peculiarity,  that  the  Lord's  table  is  restricted  to  the 
Lord's  kingdom,  is  identified  in  the  practice  of  the  prim- 
itive churches.  Once  more :  that  the  true  church  or  kingdom 
of  Jesus  Christ  was  peculiarly  persecuted,  will  be  easily 


298  (Primitive  Chiirciies. 

identified  in  the  history  of  the  churches  of  this  period.  It 
was  declared  by  the  Savior  himself,  that  the  true  disciples 
should  be  hated  of  all  nations  for  his  name's  sake.  Mos- 
heim,  the  historian,  informs  us  that  JSTero,  who  was  em- 
peror of  Rome  in  the  first  century,  accused  the  Christians 
of  having  set  fire  to  the  city — a  crime  which  he  himself  had 
committed, — and  to  punish  them,  ^^  He  therefore  wrapped 

up  some  of  them  in  combustible  garments, 

Mos.  Ch.  History,  i        ^        ir^.i  xxxi  ^        j.\ 

.^  ^'    and  ordered  fire  to  be  set  to  them  when  the 

p.  16. 

darkness  came  on,  that  thus,  like  torches, 
they  might  dispel  the  obscurity  of  the  night ;  while  others 
were  fastened  to  crosses,  or  torn  to  pieces  by  wild  beasts,  or 
put  to  death  in  some  such  dreadful  manner.  This  horrid 
persecution  was  set  on  foot  in  the  month  of  November,  in 
the  sixty-fourth  year  of  Christ ;  and  in  it,  according  to 
some  ancient  accounts,  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter  suffered 
martyrdom,  though  the  latter  assertion  is  contested  by 
many  as  being  absolutely  irreconcilable  with  chronology.'^ 
It  will  be  observed,  that  during  this  period,  extending  to 
the  middle  of  the  third  century,  the  Christians  were  per- 
secuted by  the  heathen.  The  horrid  and  blasphemous 
practice  of  professed  Christians  slaughtering  each  other  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  was,  at  this  period,  unknown  to 
the  world.  It  was  during  this  time  that  the  ten  pagan 
persecutions  spent  their  fury  against  the  disciples  of  the 
despised  Nazarine.  No  history,  whether  sacred  or  profane, 
has  ever  questioned  the  fact  that  these  early  Christians 
were  peculiarly  persecuted  by  their  own  emperors.  Mr. 
Orchard  says:  "The  city  of  Lyons  was 
'  'f  \  "^  po  '^''  again  visited  with  the  vengeance  of  the  em- 
peror. Severus,  in  202,  treated  the  Chris- 
tians of  this  city  with  the  greatest  cruelty.     Such  was  the 


(Restricted  Coimnunion.  299 

excess  of  his  barbarity  that  the  rivers  were  colored  with 
human  blood,  and  the  public  places  of  the  city  were  filled 
with  the  dead  bodies  of  professors.  It  is  recorded  of  this 
church,  that  since  its  formation  it  has  been  watered  with 
the  blood  of  twenty  thousand  martyrs/^  And  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  disciples  of  Christ  in  this  city,  are  only  a  sam- 
ple of  what  they  suffered  in  other  countries.  Among  the 
vast  numbers  who  were  tortured  in  this  city,  Eusebius  gives 
the  following  account  of  several  individuals:  "Maturus, 
therefore,  and  Sanctus,  and  Blandina,  and 

Attains,  were  led  into  the  amphitheater  to         .J.  \S^       '' 
'  ^  pp.  1/0,  1/6. 

the  wild  beasts,  and  to  the  common  spec- 
tacle of  heathenish  inhumanity, — the  day  for  exhibiting 
the  fight  with  wild  beasts  being  designedly  published  on 
our  account.  Maturus,  however,  and  Sanctus,  again 
passed  through  all  the  tortures  in  the  amphitheater,  just 
as  if  they  had  suffered  nothing  at  all  before,  or  rather  as 
those  who  in  many  trials  before  had  defeated  the  adver- 
sary, and  now  contending  for  the  crown  itself,  again,  as 
they  passed,  bore  the  strokes  of  the  scourge  usually  inflicted 
there,  the  draggings  and  lacerations  from  the  beasts,  and  all 
of  the  madness  of  the  people,  one  here  and  another  there, 
cried  for  and  demanded;  and  last  of  all,  the  iron  chair, 
upon  which  their  bodies  wel-e  roasted,  while  the  fumes  of 
their  own  flesh  ascended  to  annoy  them.  The  tormentors 
did  iiot  cease  even  then,  but  continued  to  rage  so  much  the 
more,  intending,  if  possible,  to  conquer  their  perseverance. 
They  could  not,  however,  elicit  or  hear  anything  from 
Sanctus  besides  that  confession  which  he  had  uttered  from 
the  beginning.  These  two,  therefore,  in  whom  life  for  the 
most  part  had  remained  through  the  mighty  conflict,  were 
at  last  dispatched.     On  that  day  they  were  made  an  ex- 


300  (Primitive  Churches. 

hibition  to  the  world,  in  place  of  the  variety  of  gladiato- 
rial combats.  Blandina,  however,  was  bound  and  sus- 
pended on  a  stake,  and  thus  exposed  as  food  to  the  assaulu 
of  wild  beasts;  and  as  she  thus  appeared  to  hang  after  the 
manner  of  the  cross,  by  her  earnest  prayers  she  infused 
much  alacrity  into  the  contending  martyrs.  *  ^  ^  ^ 
But  as  none  of  the  beasts  then  touched  her,  she  was  taken 
down  from  the  stake  and  remanded  back  again  to  prison, 
to  be  reserved  for  another  contest.  *  *  ^  Thus  she 
overcome  the  enemy  in  many  trials,  and  in  -the  conflict 
received  the  crown  of  immortality.^'  Attains,  after  being 
twice  exposed  in  the  theater,  was  finally  beheaded. 

Vast  numbers  were  thus  tortured,  and  after  their  death 
many  of  their  bodies  w^re  cast  into  heaps  outside  of  the 
city,  and  guarded  day  and  night  to  prevent  friends  from 
burying  the  remains  of  their  mutilated  bodies.  Multi- 
tudes suifered  throughout  the  Roman  empire.  At  Car- 
thage the  cruelty  resembled  that  perpetrated  at  Lyons. 
Among  the  multitudes  of  martyrs  at  this  city,  we  only 
give  the  account  of  the  cruel  martyrdom  of  two  females, 
as  reported  in  Jones'  Church  History. 

After  Perpetua  had  entered  the  theater  among  the  wild 
beasts,  singing  praises  to  God,  her  execution  is  thus  re- 
ported :  "  Perpetua  and  Felicitas  were  first  inclosed  in  a 
net,  and  then  exposed  to  a  wild  cow.    But 

-.-.^  '  ■'  this  sight  struck  the  spectators  with  hor- 
ror, as  the  former  w^as  a  delicate  woman, 
and  the  breasts  of  the  latter  were  streaming  with  milk  af- 
ter her  delivery.  They  w^ere,  therefore,  recalled,  and  ex- 
posed in  a  common  loose  dress.  Perpetua  was  first  tossed 
by  the  beast,  and,  being  thrown  down,  she  had  the  pres- 
ence of  mind  to  compose  her  dress  as  she  lay  on  the  ground. 


(Primitive  Churches  (Persecuted.  301 

Then  rising,  and  seeing  Felicitas  mucli  more  torn  than 
herself,  she  gave  her  hand  and  assisted  her  to  rise ;  and 
for  some  time  they  both  stood  together,  near  the  gate  of 
the  amphitheater.  Thither  Perpetua  sent  for  her  brother, 
and  exhorted  him  to  continue  firm  in  the  faith,  to  love 
his  fellow  Christians,  and  not  to  be  discouraged  by  her 
sufferings.  Being  all  in  a  mangled  condition,  they  were 
nov/  taken  to  the  usual  place  of  execution,  to  be  dispatched 
with  a  sword  ;  but  the  populace  requesting  that  they  should 
be  removed  to  another  place,  where  the  execution  might  be 
seen  to  more  advantage,  they  got  up,  of  their  own  accord, 
to  go  thither.  Then,  having  given  each  other  the  kiss  of 
charity,  they  quietly  resigned  themselves  to  their  fate.  In 
^Yalking,  Saturus  had  supported  Perpetua,  and  he  expired 
the  first.  She  was  observed  to  direct  a  young  and  igno- 
rant soldier,  who  was  appointed  to  be  her  executioner,  in 
^Yhat  manner  he  should  perform  his  office." 

The  malignant  enmity  of  the  carnal  heart  was  mani- 
fested in  the  persecution  and  crucifixion  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
and  after  his  execution  the  apostles  fell  martyrs  to  the  fury 
of  the  heathen  world.  And  the  same  unrelenting  perse- 
cution followed  the  pathway  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
through  the  period  of  the  primitive  churches  which  we 
have  been  considering.  Therefore,  these  ancient  churches 
possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  Bible  peculiarity  of 
being  persecuted  and  every-where  spoken  against.  We 
have  seen,  in  the  foregoing  examination,  that  the  Bible 
characteristics  are  sufficiently  developed  in  the  history  of 
these  early  churches  to  identify  them  with  the  kingdom 
of  Christ ;  and  as  Baptists  now  possess  the  same  peculiar- 
ities, these  early  churches  were  such  as  would  now  be 
called  Baptist  churches. 


302  (Primitive  Churches. 


Section  II. — Bishop  and  elder  the  same  office 

In  human  religions  societies  the  membership  have  not 
only  been  deprived  of  their  rights  of  participation  in  the 
transaction  of  church  business,  but  a  gradation  of  minis- 
terial offices  has  been  inaugurated  which  places  some  min- 
isters over  others  in  point  of  office,  as  lords  over  their 
brethren.  It  will  be  found,  upon  a  strict  examination  of 
the  New  Testament,  that  there  are  only  tw^o  classes  of 
officers  in  the  churches  of  Christ,  and  they  are  chosen  by, 
and  are  amenable  to,  the  churches  for  their  official  actions.- 
In  truth,  they  are  only  servants  of  the  churches.  This  was 
fully  showui  in  chapter  twelve,  where  peculiarity  fifth  is 
tested  by  the  Bible. 

At  this  place  we  design  to  introduce  authorities  to  show 
that  the  primitive  churches  recognized  the  Bible  doctrine 
of  the  official  equality  of  bishops  (episcopoi)  and  elders 
(presbuteroi).     Mr.  Miall,  in  his  Memorials,  says  :  "  But, 

besides  these  extraordinary  officers,  each 
Memo,  of  Earlu      i         i  i   ,i  ij.ii 

r,j  ,- .  ^(.  church  possessed  the  power,  under  the  ad- 
vice and  admonition  of  the  apostles,  of 
electing  distinct  officers  for  the  arrangement  of  its  peculiar 
concerns.  These  were  presbyters  (as  they  were  designated 
by  the  application  of  a  term  in  use  by  the  Jewish  syna- 
gogues) or  bishops  (as  they  Avere  called  at  a  somewhat 
later  period  by  a  phrase  familiar  to  Gentile  usages). 
The  terms  are  obviously  interchangeable — the  former  re- 
ferring to  the  character  which  fitted  them  for  the  cffice; 
the  latter  to  the  relations  of  the  office  itself.'^     And  Ne- 

ander,   the  historian,  to  the  same  effect, 
His.   Three    Cen-       ni  ^  m     ,    ,i  i  . 

turies  v   106  ainrms  :       I  hat  the  .name  also,  episcopos^ 

was    altogether    synonymous    with    that 


(Bishop  and  Elder  the  Same  Office.       303 

of  presbyter,  is  clearly  collected  by  the  passages  of 
Scripture  where  both  appellations  are  interchanged  (Acta 
XX ;  compare  ver.  17  with  ver.  28 :  Epistle  to  Titus, 
ch.  i :  verses  5  and  7),  as  well  as  from  those  where  the 
mention  of  the  office  of  deacon  follows  immediately  after 
that  of  ^episcopi;'  so  that  a  third  class  of  officers  could 
not  lie  between  the  two.''  And  even  Mr.  Waddington, 
the  Episcopal  historian,  affirms  that :  "  It  is  also  true, 
that  in  the  earliest  government  of  the 
first  Christian  society — that  of  Jcrusa-  ^'^^-^  ^^  lu^ch 
1cm — not  the  ciders  only,  but  the  whole 
church  were  associated  with  the  apostles :  and  it  is  even 
certain  that  the  terms  bishop  and  ekler,  or  presbyter,  were 
in  the  first  instance,  and  for  a  short  period,  sometimes 
used  synonymously,  and  indiscriminately  applied  to  the 
same  order  in  the  ministry." 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  early  churches  of  this  period 
followed  the  example  of  the  apostolic  churches  in  the  elec- 
tion of  their  officers.  The  gradation  of  ministerial  offices 
in  the  churches  has  no  support  from  the  Scriptures.  The 
only  offices  retained  in  the  churches  are  those  of  ddevs  or 
bishops  and  deacons,  and  these  must  be  chosen  or  elected 
by  the  churches.  The  idea  of  a  universal  bishop  over  all 
the  churches,  is  peculiar  to  Rome  and  her  ofF-shoots.  A 
bishoj:)  or  elder,  in  the  New  Testament,  was  simply  a  min- 
ister chosen  and  ordained  to  the  work  by  the  authority  of 
the  congregation.  There  were  sometimes  a  plurality  of 
bishops  in  one  church;  and  in  the  apostolic  age  the  epis- 
copacy of  one  elder  never  extended  beyond  the  bounds  of 
one  congregation.  The  idea  of  one  man  acting  as  pastor 
for  three  or  four  churches,  is  a  modern  custom  which  should 
be  abandoned. 


304  ,  (Primitive  Churches. 

By  reference  to  Acts,  twentieth  chapter,  it  will  be  seen 

that  Paul  "  sent  to  Ephesus  and  called  the  elders  of  the 

church/^  verse  seventeen;  and  to  the  same  eiders  he  said : 

^^    r.r.       "Take  heed,  therefore,  unto  vourselves,  and 

Acts   20:    28.  ,^     ^        r^      \  ^  ^    '    ^    \        ^^    ^       X^ 

to  all  the  Hock  over  the  which  the  Holy  (jrhost 
hath  made  you  overseers,  to  feed  the  church  of  God,  which 
he  hath  purchased  with  his  own  blood. '^  The  word  over- 
seers in  this  passage,  is  episcopous  in  the  Greek — the  word 
which  is  usually  translated  bishops;  but  to  have  rendered 
it  bishops  in  this  place,  would  have  shown  that  elder  and 
bishop  is  the  same  office,  which  would  have  condemned 
the  church  of  the  translators.  In  the  first  ages  of  the 
church,  there  was  no  such  a  thing  known  as  the  bishop  of 
a  state  or  province.  As  before  seen,  Mosheim  says:  ^^A 
bishop,  during  the  first  and  second  century, 

Mos.  Ch,  History,  i        ^     i    ^^  jr 

„„  ^'  was  a  person  who  had  the  care  oj    one 

Christian  assembly,  which,  at  that  time, 
was,  generally  speaking,  small  enough  to  be  contained  in  a 
private  house.  In  this  assembly  he  acted,  not  so  much  with 
the  authority  of  a  master,  as  with  the  zeal  and  diligence  of 
a  faithful  servants 

We  have  emphasized  this  statement  of  the  historian  to 
call  attention  to  the  importance  of  the  subject.  It  was 
left  for  the  corruptions  of  after  times  to  establish  the  dio- 
cesan episcopacy,  which  has  overshadowed  the  nations 
with  a  gloomy  spiritual  despotism  for  many  centuries. 


Section  III. — Leading  erroes  which  omGixATro 

DURING  THIS  PERIOD. 

The  apostle  Paul  predicted  that  there  would  "come  a 
falling  away  first,  and  that  man  of  sin  be 
revealed,  the  ^n  of  perdition  j ''  and  that  the 


^Rise  of  the  Hierarchy.  305 

"mystery  of  iniquity"  had  already  begun  to  woriv  in  his 
own  time.  It  was  the  gradual  introduction  of  thos'e  errors 
that  some  regard  as  things  non-essential,  which  has  pro- 
duced the  mighty  harvest  of  iniquity  which  has  overshad- 
owed the  world  for  so  many  ages. 

Fiist,  the  hierarchy:  Christian  philosophers  soon  began 
to  engraft  Judaism  and  heathen  philosophy  into  Ciiris- 
tianity.  On  this  point,  Mr.  Robinson  says:  "In  the  third 
century  Jewish  theology  drew  off  the  at- 
tention of  Christians  from  the  simplicity  ^'J.  '^^'  ^'' 
of  Jesus  and  the  Gospel,  and  fixed  it  on 
an  hierarchy,  particularly  in  the  great  corrupt  and  wealthy 
churclies  of  Rome,  Antioch,  Alexandria,  and  Carthage. 
This  introduced,  by  degrees,  a  second  period,  and  second 
system  of  ecclesiastical  management,  named  by  this  author, 
the  Episcopal  system  of  church  law."  It  was  as  early  as 
the  beginning  of  the  third  century  that  some  of  the  pastors 
or  bishops  began  to  assume  unscriptural  authority  over  the 
churches.  This  was  not  the  case  among  all  the  churches, 
but  it  was  only  a  few  churches  in  the  great  cities,  whose 
pastors  had  begun  to  assume  the  leadership.  These 
churches  were  afterward  called  Metropolitan  churches. 
We  will  name,  therefore,  as  the  first  leading  error  of  this 
period,  the  tendency  toward  a  hierarchical  form  of  church 
government.  On  this  point,  Miall  remarks :  "  It  is,  how- 
ever, very  clear  that  this  century  wit- 
nessed a  rapid  increase  of  the  hierarchical     ^f"!^'  ^'^  ^^^  ^ 

^  Christ,  p.  227. 

power.     The  clergy  began,  for  the    first 

time,  to  be  distinguished  from  the  laity.  The  bishops 
assumed  the  titles  and  offices  of  the  Jewish  priesthood. 
The  primitive  virtues  by  which  many  of  the  pastors  of  the 
Metropolitan  churches  were  distinguished,  caused  them  to 


30(3  Primitive  Churches, 

be  regarded  as  the  advisers  of  neighboring  churches,  and 
paved  the  way  for  an  assertion  of  superiority  which  speed- 
ily passed  the  bounds  of  apostolical  prescription.'^  This 
usurpation  of  authority  over  the  churches,  which  began  to 
show  itself  as  early  as  the  close  of  the  second  century,  con- 
tinued gradually  to  unfold  itself  till  the  faithful  churches 
were  compelled,  in  order  to  preserve  their  purity,  to  de- 
clare non-fellowship  for  those  ministers  and  churches 
which  had  adopted  the  corrupt  principles  of  church  gov- 
ernment. It  was  this  first  apparently  small  departure 
from  the  true  system  of  government  which,  in  future  times, 
culminated  into  that  huge  system  of  stupendous  fraud  and 
despotism  knovrn  as  the  Romanish  Church. 

Second :  The  second  leading  error  which  originated  in 
this  period,  is  the  doctrine  of  baptismal  salvation.  This 
doctrine  was  based  upon  the  false  interpretation  of  those 
Scriptures  which  speak  of  baptism  for  remission  of  sins; 
and  especially  John,  where  they  made  horn  o^  water,  mean 
baptism.  It  is  admitted  that  baptism  represents  the  wash- 
ing away  of  sins.  The  same  principles  of  Scripture  inter- 
pretation which  gave  birth  to  ba])tismal  salvation,  also 
gave  birth  to  transubstantiation.  Of  this  defection  from 
the  truth  on  the  part  of  some,  Miall  remarks :  ^'  In  the 
ante-JN'icene  period,  sin  was  regarded  much 

ni  ■  I  ^  oro  more  in  its  overt  demonstrations  than  in 
ChrisL,  p.  368. 

its  spiritual  destructiveness;  repentance 
had  degenerated  into  penance;  regeneration  into  baptism; 
justification  by  faith,  into  just  what  the  ninetieth  number 
of  ^The  Tracts  for  the  Times'  declares  it  to  be;  and 
sanctification  was  lost  in  the  names  of  sacred  persons, 
sacred  things,  and  sacred  places.  All  this  was  before  the 
Papacy  had  begun  to  blazon  its  triple  crown,  or  to  set  its 


Origin  of  (Baptismal  Salvation.  307 

feet  upon  the  necks  of  kings."  It  is  difficult  to  ascertain 
at  what  precise  point  of  time  the  error  of  baptismal  salva- 
tion was  first  advocated;  it  is  certain,  however,  that  it 
was  advocated  by  a  large  number  as  early  as  the  middle 
of  the  third  century;  and  it  is  likely  that  some  embraced 
this  view  as  early  as  the  close  of  the  second  century.  Bap- 
tismal salvation  was  an  innovation  brought  in,  in  some 
places,  along  with  the  change  of  the  form  of  church  gov- 
ernment to  a  hierarchy.  Neander  and  Waddington  both 
testify  that  baptismal  salvation  was  a  departure  from  the 
original  doctrine  of  the  design  of  baptism.  And  when 
this  superstitious  error  concerning  baptism  was  established, 
it  opened  the  way  for  other  superstitions,  which  tended  to 
clothe  the  baptismal  ceremony  with  a  mysterious  grandeur 
and  importance  which  excited  the  admiration  of  the  peo- 
ple. Among  the  attending  superstitions  added  to  bap- 
tismal salvation,  may  be  mentioned  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
blowing  in  the  mouth  of  the  candidate,  the  use  of  crism, 
and  the  giving  of  the  newly  baptized  persons  milk  and 
honey,  as  a  symbol  of  the  new  life. 

Third:  Another  serious  error,  which  appeared  in  this 
period,  is  that  which  is  usually  called  infant  baptism. 
This  error  originated  about  the  beginning  of  the  third 
century.  It  appeared  immediately  after  the  introduction 
of  baptismal  salvation.  It  at  first  prevailed  mostly  in 
North  Africa.  As  it  had  no  support  from  the  Scrip- 
tures, it  claimed  tradition  for  its  authority.  Origin,  the 
great  champion  of  infant  baptism  in  the  third  century, 
supported  infant  baptism  upon  the  authority  of  tradition. 

Keander  remarks  that :  "  Origin,  in  whose 

,  '    £•     i.    \       i'  J.1  i-u      -^^^'   Three  First 

system  mfant  baptism  stood  very  high,    Centuries,  ^.  2QQ, 

though  not  in  the  same  point  of  view  as 


308  (Primitive  Chu7'ches. 

the  North  African  Church,  declares  that  it  is  an  apostolic 
tradition, —  a  declaration  which  can  not,  in  that  century, 
be  considered  of  anv  gre^it  vreight,  because  men  were  at 
that  time  so  much  inclined  to  deduce  the  ordinances, 
which  they  thought  of  great  imjx)rtance,  from  the  apos- 
tles; and,  beside  this,  there  were  many  partition  walls 
between  this  and  the  apostolic  age,  which  prevented  a  free 
insight  into  that  age."  It  appears,  then,  that  the  first 
advocates  of  ijifant  baptism  did  not  attempt  to  sustain  it 
from  the  Word  of  God,  but  u];>on  the  authority  of  tradi- 
tion. Xeander,  the  historian,  admits  that :  "  It  is  certain 
that  Christ  did  not  ordain  infant  baptism." 
*'  '"^'  "We  can  not  prove  that  the  apostles  or- 
dained infant  baptism ; "  and,  "  The  first  passage  which 
appears  expressly  to  point  to  this  matter,  is  found  in 
Irensus."  It  is  thought  that  Irenseus  alludes  to  infant 
baptism  because  he  s]>eaks  of  regeneration  in  connection 
with  infants.  This  vilw  is  based  upon  the  supposition 
that  IrensBUS  uses  the  term  regeneration  as  synonymous 
vrith  baptism  when  referring  to  infants.  It  is  admitted 
that  some  writers,  about  this  time,  used  the  term  regenera- 
tion, in  a  figurative  way,  to  denote  baptism ;  but  there  ii 
no  evidence  that  Irenseus  used  the  term  in  the  sense  of 
baptism  in  the  instance  referred  to.  Irenseus  does  not  men- 
tion infe.nt  baptism  at  all.  He  flourished  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  second-  century.  No  writer  in  the  second  cen- 
tury has  mentioned  infant  baptism  at  all.     "  Tertullian 

was  inquired  of,  by  a  rich  lady  named 
-/'/    ^^'■9        '    Q^i^^i^^^y  ^^^^   lived  at  Pepuza,  a  town 

of  Phiygia,  whether  infants  might  be  bap- 
tized on  condition  they  asked  to  be  baptized,  and  pio- 
duced  sponsors?"     This  was  not  an  inquir)'  about  the 


(kize  c^  lr.'j,7d  (^Tzizrr.. 


IQL. 

in  J 

turv.      \'2^.    L=  It 


f    .»L  Art  ¥m* 
beslnn.''    We  ki 


r5C  retzorie:  ziL-Ht 


-^-?kli^BAe 


310  Primitive  Churches. 

baptism,  which  was  the  offspring  of  baptismal  salvation, 
produced  a  harvest  of  error  and  superstitions.  The  first 
among:  these  is  infant  communion.     Mr.  Robinson  sa^'s, 

that :  "  The  same  Innocent  very  consist- 
^^151  ^^^^  ^"^^^    ^"*^>'  introduced  infant  communion  ;— this 

grew  out  of  infant  baptism,  as  that  did 
out  of  original  sin.^' 

The  order  of  the  rise  of  inflmt  baptism  and  communion 
is  reported  by  Mr.  Robinson  as  having  been  stated  l)y 
Jerom  Piescarski  in  the  synod  of  Brest,  in  1558,  in  Lith- 
uania, as  follows :  '''  He  then  came  to  baptism,  and  affirmed 

that  infant  baptism  had  no  place  in  the 
Bohh  Eccl  Bes.,    g^^.^^^^^j.^    that  in  the  two  first  centuries  it 

p.  0/  y. 

was  not  mentioned ;  that  it  rose  in  Africa 
in  the  third  century,  and  was  opposed  by  Tertullian;  that 
the  first  canons  to  enjoin  it  were  made  at  a  council  at  Mela, 
in  Africa,  in  the  year  four  hundred  and  eighteen ;  that 
infant  communion  came  in  at  the  same  time;  that  before 
this,  people  were  put  into  the  state  of  catechumens,  and 
instructed  in  the  Christian  faith ;  that  then  they  were  ex- 
amined concerning  their  faith,  and,  on  confessing  it,  were 
baptized  by  immersion;  that  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  centu- 
ries, while  the  Papal  power  continued  feeble,  though  in- 
creasing, the  children  of  believers,  even  those  of  bishops, 
were  not  baptized  till  they  were  adults,  and  some,  as  Am- 
brose, not  till  they  had  been  elected  and  were  going  to 
accept  the  ofiice  of  bishops;  and  that  some  deferred  it  till 
they  were  just  ready  to  die.''  In  this  quotation  wo  have 
an  account  of  the  gradual  growth  of  infant  baptism  among 
those  who  finally  assumed  the  title  of  Catholic  Church. 
Infant  baptism  also  gave  rise  to  the  superstitions  and 
blasphemous  custom  of  having  "god-fathers  and   god- 


(Rise  of  Infant  (Baptisi^.  311 

mothers.^^  These  god-fathers  and  god-mothers  Avere  to 
answer  the  questions,  promise  to  renounce  the  devil,  etc., 
and  make  profession  of  faith,  instead  of  the  child.  We 
have  thus  briefly  sketched  the  rise  of  these  fundamenta] 
errors,  which,  in  after  years,  overflowed  the  world  with  a 
mighty  deluge  of  superstition  and  crime.  Dr.  Gill,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  rise  of  infant  baptism  and  popery,  uses  the  follow- 
ing strong  language  :  "  The  two  are,  in  fact,  indissolubly 
united — one  in  their  origin,  their  growth, 

and    their    results.     The    same    mother-       ^.o 

p.  42. 

heresy — Baptismal  E,egeneration— which 
gave  birth  to  Popery,  gave  birth  to  infant  baptism.  They 
were  engendered  in  the  same  dark  womb  of  ignorance  and 
superstition.  They  came  forth  together.  They  grew  up 
together.  Together  they  overspread  the  nations.  And 
together  shall  they  disap})ear  before  the  light  of  Christ's 
Gospel,  and  the  brightness  of  his  coming.'^  After  thirty- 
five  years'  investigation  of  the  question  of  infant  baptism, 
the  learned  J.  Newton  Brown  gave  utterance  to  the  fol- 
lowing language :  "  Infant  baptism  is  an 

ft^       '      •         i           1                   i   •  Baptist  Martyrs, 

•om  befrmnmoj  to  end;  corrupt  m  i^             ^   ' 

.        .               .  P-  13. 
theory,  and  corrupting  in  practice;  born 

in  superstition,  cradled  in  fear,  nursed  in  ignorance,  sup- 
ported by  fraud,  and  spread  by  force:  doomed  to  die  in 
the  light  of  historical  in\'cstigation,  and  its  very  memory 
to  be  loathed  in  all  future  ages  by  a  disabused  church.  In 
the  realms  of  despotism  it  has  shed  the  blood  of  martyrs 
in  torreiiis:  that  blood  cries  against  it  to  heaven;  and  a 
long-sufPering  God  will  yet  be  the  terrible  avenger.  The 
book  before  us  is  a  swift  witness  against  it.''  This  con- 
densed statement  contains  the  truth,  as  found  in  history, 
of  the  rise  and  fearful  results  of  infant  baptism.     Some 


312  Primitive  Churches. 

have  plead  for  infant  baptism  on  the  ground  of  its  an- 
tiquity ;  but  if  the  age  of  a  doctrine  proved  its  correctness, 
then  many  of  the  grossest  superstitions  of  Rome  must  be 
correct,  for  they  are  as  ancient  as  infant  baptism.  No 
error  has  the  right  to  plead  antiquity.  A  doctrine  with- 
out the  support  of  the  Scriptures,  must  be  given  up. 


(Baptist  Succession.  313 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

THE   NOVATIAN   PEKIOD— ABOUT   TWO   HUNDKED 
YEARS. 

1.  Peculiakities  applied  to  the  Novatiai«-s. 

2.  The  GpvEat  Apostacy. 

Section  I. — Peculiarities  applied  to  the  nova- 

TIANS. 

"  A  man  that  is  a  heretic,  after  the  first  and  second  ad- 
monition, reject;    knowing   that  he  that  is  ^.      q   -.r,  ... 
such,  is  subverted,  and  sinneth,  being  con-  '     ' 

demned  of  himself."  God  requires  entire  separation  on 
the  part  of  his  people  from  all  idolatrous  worshipers, 
whether  they  are  known  by  heathen  or  Christian  names. 
It  may  be  well  to  observe  that  error  has  always  sought 
fellowship  with  the  truth ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  advo- 
cates of  false  doctrine  desire  fellowship  and  communion 
with  those  who  embrace  the  doctrine  of  Christ ;  for  they 
know  that  this  is  the  most  effectual  way  to  give  currency 
to  heresy.  But  God  requires  his  faithful  witnesses  to 
touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not,  the  commandments  and 
doctrines  of  men. 

In  following  up  the  chain  of  succession,  we  have  already 
seen  that  there  was  a  division  in  the  church  at  Rome,  led 
by  Novatian,  in  favor  of  purity  of  communion.  This  was 
not  a  division  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  for  at  that 
time — 251 — ^Ihere  was  no  such  church  in  the  world.  Those 
churches  and  brethren  throughout  the  empire  which  re- 


314  The  j^ovat'iaii  Period. 

maincd  firm  for  the  Bible  doctrine  of  purity,  in  faith  and 

worship,  were  called  by  their  enemies  Novatians.     It  has 

already  been  seen,  that  they  did  not  originate  with  Nova- 

tiun,  but  were  the  descendants  of  the  primitive  churches. 

AVe  now  proceed  to  examine  more  fully  into  the  Baptist 

character  of  the  people  called  Novatians.     When  we  say 

Baptist  character,  w- e  mean  Bible  character ;  for  we  have 

already  proved  that  the  Baptist  peculiarities  are  the  Bible 

peculiarities :  we  will,  therefore,  use  the  phrases  Baptist 

2)ecuHarities  and  Bible  pecuHarities  synonymously.     We 

now  proceed  to  examine  the  Novatian  peculiarities. 

First :  They  claimed  no  other  founder  and  head  except 

Jesus  Christ.     This  is  seen  in  the  fact,  as  already  shown, 

that  they  ^^Have  some  just  claims  to  be 

Reliqious  Enciic,  i    i  xi  x    i  i 

^^„  -^  '    regarded  as  the  pure,  uncorrupted,  and 

apostolic  church  of  Christ.'^  And  as  they 
claim  to  be  the  pure,  uncorrupted,  and  apostolic  church, 
they  must  have  claimed  Jesus  as  their  Founder  and  Head. 

Of  their  claims,  Neander  says  :  "  The  No- 

^   '     .        ,  ,"      vatianists,  therefore,  as  they  claimed  to  be 
Centuries,  p.  147.  •'  .        '  -^ 

the  only  unstained,  pure  church,  called 
themselves  oi  hatharoi — ^  the  pure.^  ^'  The  charge  that 
Novatian  was  the  founder  of  the  Novatian  churches,  is 
without  solid  foundation.  It  is  well  to  observe,  however, 
that  they  have  never  been  charged  with  claiming  Nova- 
tian either  as  founder  or  head.  It  Avas  their  bitter  foes 
that  made  this  charge.  The  Novatians  were  counted  her- 
etics by  the  corrupt  party  who  began  to  call  themselves 
Catholics.     Mr.  Waddington  gives  the  following  necessary 

caution  :  '^  Charges,  indeed,  or  insinua- 
His.  of  the  Church,    ,•  ^  ,i 

rg  tions  01  the  grossest  nnpurities,  are  some- 

times thrown  out  by  the  orthodox  writers 


J^ovatians  claimed  no  Founder  but  Jezus.    316 

against  tlie  early  liorctics;  but  wo  are  bound  to  receive 
them  with  great  caution,  because  the  answers  which  may 
have  been  given  to  them  are  h)st,  and  because  they  are 
not  generally  justified  by  any  authentic  records  which  we 
possess  respecting  the  lives  of  those  heretics/'  And  Mr. 
llobinson  says :  "  The  history  of  Nova- 
tian  is  lonji:,  and,  like  that  of  all  others  in  \\,,.  "  ' '  *' 
his. condition,  beclouded  with  fables  and 
slander."  The  Novatian  churches  possess  the  Baptist  pe- 
culiarity of  acknowledging  no  founder  and  head  except 
Jesus  Christ. 

Second:  The  Novatians  claimed  no  other  standard  of 
faith  and  practice  except  the  Bible.  Very  little  need  be 
said  on  this  point,  as  they  have  never  been  charged  with 
appealing  to  any  standard  except  the  Scriptures.  The 
Kovatians  were  also  called  Paterines,  in  after-times;  and 
they  are  known  to  have  claimed  the  Scriptures  alone  as 
their  rule  of  conduct.  It  is,  therefore,  taken  for  granted — 
unless  proof  to  the  contrary  can  be  produced — that  the 
Kovatians  possessed  the  Baptist  characteristic  that  the 
Word  of  God  alone  is  the  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

Third:  The  Novatians  also  held  the  Bible  order  of 

the  commandments.     Mr.  Robinson   states  the  Novatian 

doctrine  thus  :    "  The  Novatians  said,  if 

1  •   ,  IT  I'll  lioh.^H  Ecd.  J  lis., 

you  be  a  virtuous  believer,  and  will   ac-         ^^-  ' 

cede  to  our  confederacy  against  sin,  you 
may  be  admitted  among  us  by  baptism  ;  or  if  any  Catho- 
lic has  baptized  you  before,  by  re-baptism ;  but,  mark 
this:  if  you  violate  the  contract  by  lapsing  into  idolatry 
or  vice,  we  shall  separate  you  from  our  community,  and, 
do  what  you  will,  we  shall  never  readmit  you."  This 
shows  that  the  order  observed  by  the  Novatians  was  to 


31G  The  JJovatian  (Period. 

admit  no  one  to  baptism  except  believers  ;  and  the  com- 
plaints of  tlieir  enemies,  as  well  as  their  own  statements 
concerning  the  strictness  of  their  discipline,  settle  the 
point  that  they  only  observed  the  communion  with  those 
who  had  been  baptized  and  were  in  church-fellowship. 

The  ]N^ovatians  '^  look  upon  every  society 

Bob.^s  Eccl.  His.,       i  •  i  j     •j.j.    i    ^    •  i*?  '  i  j. 

^„^  '    wnicli    reaclmitted   heinous    oiienaers    to 

p.  125. 

communion,  as  unworthy  of  the  title  of  a 
true  Christian  church."  From  this  we  discover  that  the 
Novatians  were  so  strict  in  their  views  of  communion  that 
they  did  not  regard  an  open-communion  church,  one  that 
admits  heinous  offenders,  as  worthy  of  the  name  of  a  Chris- 
tian church.  In  fact,  no  party  of  professed  Christians  had 
at  this  time  so  far  departed  from  the  Bible  order  of  the 
commandments  as  to  place  communion  before  baptism. 
Dr.  Wall,  the  learned  Episcopalian,  sums  up  the  facts  of 
history  on  this  point,  in  the  following  words :  "  Among 

all  the  absurdities  that  ever  were  held, 
is.oj   nj.     ap-    ^^^^^  g^,gj,  maintained  that, — that  any  per- 
^^m,  p.  786.  ^  r^  \ 

son  should  partake  ot  the  communion  be- 
fore he  was  baptized."  And  as  we  have  no  account  of  the 
Novatians,  or  any  others,  attempting  to  change  the  order 
of  repentance  and  faith,  we  may,  therefore,  justly  con- 
clude that  the  Novatians  possessed  the  Baptist  peculiarity 
of  holding  repentance,  faith,  baptism,  and  the  Lord's 
Supper. 

Fourth:  The  Novatians  also  possessed  the  Bible  pecu- 
liarity of  burying  in  baptism  only  those  who  professed  to 
be  dead  to  sin.  We  have  already  shown  that  they  bap- 
tized only  believers.  It  has  been  observed,  no  doubt,  that 
we  have  not  discussed  the  claims  of  the  Donatists;  not  be- 
cause they  did  not  possess  the  characteristics  of  the  Church 


JVovatians  (Biiry  in  baptism.  317 

of  Christ,  but  because  it  was  unnecessary  in  establishing  the 
line  of  succession.  They  can  be  vindicated  from  the  mis- 
representations of  their  enemies.  Speaking  of  the  views 
of  the  Donatists  in  Africa,  and  Novatians  in  Italy,  Oyspin, 
the  French  historian,  says:  "That  they 
hold  too'Cther  in  the  followins;  thino^s,  viz:  ,.  ^^^^'^-iT  ^^" 
First,  for  purity  of  church-members,  by 
asserting  that  none  ought  to  be  admitted  into  churches 
but  such  as  were  visibly  true  believers  and  real  saints. 
Second,  for  the  purity  of  church-discipline,  as  the  appli- 
cation of  church-censures,  and  keeping  out  such  as  had 
apostatized  or  scandalously  sinned.  Third,  they  both 
agreed  in  asserting  the  power,  rights,  and  privileges  of  par- 
ticular churches  against  antichristian  encroachments  of 
presbyters,  bishops  and  synods.  Fourth,  that  they  bap- 
tized again  those  whose  first  baptism  they  had  grounds  to 
doubt.^^  The  point  in  this  quotation  to  which  we  wish 
attention  at  present,  is,  that  the  Novatians  asserted  'Hhat 
none  ought  to  be  admitted  into  churches  but  such  as  were 
visibly  true  believers  and.  real  saints.^'  They  were  regarded 
as  real  saints  before  baptism  and  church  membership ;  they 
did  not,  therefore,  baptize  unpardoned  sinners  in  order  to 
make  saints  of  them.  Thus,  we  discover  that  the  Nova- 
tians  held  the  Baptist  doctrine  of  burying  in  baptism  only 
those  who  were  dead  to,  or  freed  from,  sin.  And  that,  Avith 
them,  the  action  of  baptism  was  a  burial  or  immersion,  is 
evident  from  the  following  facts:  First,  it  is  known  to 
historians,  that  immersion  was  the  general  practice  of  all 
professed  Christians  during  this  period ;  the  only  excep- 
tions allowed  were  in  cases  of  sickness,  where  some  anion gj 
the  corrupt  churches  received  affusion  on  their  sick  beds. 
On  this  subject,  Dr.  AYhitby  remarked,  that:   "It  is. so 


318  The  JNovatian  (Period. 

expressly  declared  here  (Rom.  vi:  4,  and  Col.  ii:  12),  that 

we  are  buried  with  Christ  in  baptism  by 
ffMs  m  of  ^^.  ^^^.j^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^1^^ 
Baptism,  p.  109.  *  \ 

argument  to  oblige  us  to  conformity  to  his 

death,  by  dying  to  sin,  being  taken  hence ;  and  this  immer- 
sion being  religiously  observed  by  all  Christians  for  thir- 
teen centuries,  and  approved  by  the  church ;  and  the  change 
of  it  into  sprinkling,  even  without  any  allowance  from  the 
author  of  the  institution,  or  any  license  from  any  council 
of  the  church,  being  that  which  the  Romanist  still  urgeth 
to  justify  his  refusal  of  the  cup  to  the  laity."  But  we 
have  more  direct'  evidence  that  the  Novatians  practiced 
immersion  as  baptism.     Mr.  Orchard,  the  historian,  says 

of  the  Novations,  that  "all  converts  were 
S.  Bapt.  Review,      .  7  in  i.ir>  ^i 

^-./^  '    immersedj  and  all   proselyted  irom  other 

churches  were  re-immersed,^^ 

Also,  speaking  of  the  church  at  Rome,  Mr.  Robinson 

says :  "  Not  one  natural  infant  of  any  de- 
BobJs  Eccl.  Res.,  ...  •     xi  •      1        i    i      •       - 1 

joQ  scription  appears  in  this  cnurcii  during  the 

first  three  centuries,  and  immersion  Avas 

the  only  method  of  baptizing." 

Again,  Mr.  Robinson  says:  "No  alteration  was  made 

in  the  mode  of  admin isterino^  baptism. 
Rob: s  Eccl.  Res.,     y,  ..      •  1  i      \i  • 

004  It  was  Clipping  every-where,  and  nothing 

else."  The  Novatians  not  only  immersed 
their  candidates,  but  they  re-immersed  those  who  had 
been  previously  immersed  by  other  parties;  hence  they 
were  stigmatized  as  Anabaptists.  On  this  point,  Mr.  Orch- 
ard says :  "  I  am  satisfied  that  the  Church 
Ban  vol  II D  12  ^^  ^^^^'^^t,  which  has  witnessed  for  him,  has, 
from  the  days  of  Novatian,  been  stigma- 
tized with  the  name  of  Anabaptists.     This  re-baptizing, 


u 


ornelhis  against  JVovatian.  310 


stpjidingas  it  does  in  ecclesiastical,  }X)litIcal  and  commer- 
cial histoiy,  decides,  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner,  our 
jealousy  over  the  house  of  God,  and  our  watchful  care  for 
Scriptural  communion.'^  We  consider  it  a  point  estab- 
lished beyond  successful  controversy,  that  the  Novatians 
possessed  the  Baptist  characteristic  of  holding  the  burial 
with  Christ,  only  of  those  who  professed  to  be  dead  to,  or 
freed  from,  sin. 

Before  leaving  this  point,  it  may  be  proper  to  mention 
the  fact,  that  Novatian  himself  is  said  to  have  been  as- 
persed for  baptism.  Of  Novatian,  Eusebius  quotes  Cor- 
nelius as  saying :  ^^  To  him,  indeed,  the 
author  and  instiofator  of  his  faith  w^as  Sa-  ^^^  '  "' 
tan,  who  entered  into  and  dw^elt  in  him  a 
long  time;  who,  aided  by  the  exorcists,  wdien  attacked 
w^ith  an  obstinate  disease,  and  being  supposed  at  the  point 
of  death,  was  baptized  by  aspersion,  in  the  bed  on  which 
he  lay — if,  indeed,  it  be  proper  to  say  that  one  like  him 
did  receive  baptism.^'     Again,  Cornelius,  the  enemy  and 

rival  of  Xovatian,  says  of  him :  "  This  illus-     ,    , 

1        -.      .  1      ^,        1       r.     ^b^,  P-  266. 

trious  character  abandoning  the  Church  oi 

God,  in  wdiich,  when  he  w^as  converted,  he  was  lionored 

with  the  presbytery,  and  that  by  the  favor  of  the  bishop 

placing  his  hands  upon  him  (ordaining  him)  to  the  order  of 

bishop,  and  as  all  the  clergy  and  many  of  the  laity  resisted 

it,  since  it  was  not  lawful  that  one  baptized  in  his  sick  bed  by 

aspersion,  as  he  was,  should  be  promoted  to  any  order  of  the 

clergy,  the  bishop  requested  that  it  should  be  granted  him 

to  ordain  only  this  one."  There  are  evidently  tw^o  points  in 

this  charge  of  Cornelius  against  the  claims  of  Novatian. 

First:  The  validity  of  his  baptism  is  questioned,  on  the 

ground  of  his  being  an  improper  subject;  for  Cornelius 


320  The  jWovatian  (t^eriod. 

says :  "  If,  indeed,  it  be  proper  to  say  that  one  like  him 
did  receive  baptism/^  Cornelius  had  declared  that  the 
faith  of  Novatian  liad  been  instigated  by  Satan,  and  that 
he  was  possessed  with  the  Devil,  who  had  entered  into 
liim ;  and  that  he  received  baptism  in  bed,  through  fear 
of  death.  AVithout  referring  to  the  truth  or  falsehood  of 
these  charges,  at  the  present,  a  very  important  point  is 
brought  out  by  them — viz  :  that  even  in  the  most  corrupt 
party,  in  tliis  period,  it  was  considered  necessary  that  one 
should  be  a  good  man  to  render  his  baptism  valid.  Sec- 
ond: That  aspersion  was  considered,  at  most,  imperfect 
baptism  ;  for  Cornelius  said  :  "  It  was  not  lawful  that  one 
baptized  in  his  sick  bed  by  aspersion,  as  he  was,  should 
be  promoted  to  any  order  of  the  clergy. ^^  This  was  de- 
signed to  be  the  statement  of  a  general  law  or  custom, 
that  no  one,  it  matters  not  what  his  spiritual  condition,  who 
was  baptized  in  his  sick  bed  by  aspersion,  was  eligible  to  the 
office  of  the  ministry.  This  view  is  sustained  from  the  fact 
that  the  bishop  that  ordained  Novatian  pleaded  "that  it 
should  be  granted  him  to  ordain  only  this  one,'^  who  had 
been  aspersed  in  his  sick  bed.  And  more :  If  there  had 
been  no  design  to  cast  suspicion  on  the  character  of  Nova- 
tian's  baptism  on  account  of  the  "  mode,'^  why  did  Corne- 
lius repeatedly  state  that  it  was  "by  aspersion ?^^  It 
appears,  that  in  the  former  of  the  two  quotations  from 
Cornelius,  the  charge  against  the  validity  of  Novatian's 
baptism  is  mainly  based  on  his  depraved  character;  but, 
in  the  latter,  the  point  is  made  prominent,  that  aspersion 
is  imperfect  baptism,  and  not  sufficient  for  a  candidate  foi 
the  ministerial  office.  Elder  Geo.  Yarden,  in  his  valuable 
criticism,  found  in  the  Baptist  Monthly  for  1867,  shows 
clearly  that  the  writers  who  have  based  the  objection  of 


Cyprian  on  jNovaiian's  (Baptis'M.         321 

Cornelius  to  the  validity  of  Novatian's  baptism  mainly  on 
the  ground  of  the  action  being  aspersion^  have  fallen  into 

an  error.     Elder  Varden  remarks :  ^'  Cor- 

T  Ti         ,         £e   •      i.1         -i-r     AT  Baptist  Monthly. 

nenus  could  not  sumciently  viuty  iNova-        ^.^  ''^ 

tian.  Hence  tliere  can  be  no  doubt  that 
ton  toiouton  (such  a  one)  points  with  emphasis  to  the  char- 
acter and  disposition  of  Novatian,  whose  very  preteusions 
to  religion  were  all  the  work  of  the  Devil.  This  wretch, 
fearing  he  was  going  to  die;  was  sprinkled  on  his  bed — if, 
indeed,  it  is  fit  to  say  that  such  a  one  (so  depraved)  re- 
ceived it.  The  validity,  therefore,  to  which  Cornelius,  in 
consequence  of  his  estimate  of  Novatian,  refers,  arises 
from  the  character  of  the  man,  not  his  mode  of  baptism. 
Whatever  else  there  may  be  to  show  that  his  baptism  was 
regarded  as  invalid  in  consequence  of  the  mode,  this  sub- 
junctive sentence  of  Cornelius  does  not.'^ 

But,  does  history  record  that  aspersion  was  considered 
Scriptural  and  proper  baptism  in  this  period?  By  no 
means.     Elder  Varden  places  this  subject  in  its  proper 

light,  in  the  following:   "The  main  fact 

,1     ,  n     •        /-i.  xi  -1        Baptist  Monthlij, 

that  perfusion  (it  was  more  than  sprink-        ^.^  •^' 

ling)  was,  at  that  time,  held  to  be  an  un- 
usual and  improper  baptism,  allowed  only  in  extreme  cases, 
is  substantiated  Avithout  employing  these  doubtful  or  erro- 
neous arguments."  *  *  *  "It  may  not  be  prudent  to  leave 
this  subject  without  indicating  the  true  proof.  First,  then, 
respecting  the  case  of  Novatian,  Cyprian  writes.  Epistle 
69:  ^In  two  respects  Xovatian  seemed  censurable:  in  the 
first  place,  he  had  caused  a  schism  in  respect  to  the  lapsed ; 
and  in  the  second  place,  he  had  been  sprinkled  on  his  bed^ 
BUT  HAD  NOT  BEEN  BAPTIZED.  There  is  Certainly  no 
ambiguity  here.     There  existed  a  very  prevalent  impres- 


322  The  JNovatian  (Period. 

sion  that  sprinkling,  or  rather  pouring,  was  an  imperfect 
baptism,  and,  therefore,  did  not  secure  the  blessings  prom- 
ised to  immersion/  Cyprian  thus  meets  this  state  of  things, 
Epistle  76  :  ^  If  any  one  supposes  that  they  obtain  nothing 
because  the  waters  of  salvation  have  been  only  poured 
on  them,  but  are  destitute  (of  God's  grace),  let  them  not 
be  deceived,  but,  if  they  regain  their  health,  lei  them  be 
baptized^  It  is  clear  that  by  baptizentur,  Cyprian  means 
immersion ;  it  stands  in  contrast  to  perfusi  sunt.  Is  not 
this  passage  proof  that,  though  perfusion  was,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  third  century,  allowed,  it  was  unsatisfactory  and 
informal?  Meeting  the  same  issue,  Cyprian,  in  the  same 
epistle,  remarks :  ^  In  the  sacraments  of  salvation,  when 
necessity  compels  and  God  grants  indulgence,  the  divine 
eompends  confer  the  whole  (that  immersion  does)  on  those 
that  believe.'  He  means,  that  though  the  rite  be  abridged 
from  immersion  to  perfusion,  yet,  in  cases  of  necessity,  the 
latter  mode  will  secure  the  divine  blessing  on  the  recipient. 
Perfusion  is  an  abridgment  of  the  divine  command,  and 
was  vindicated  only  in  cases  of  necessity J^ 

The  above  testimony  of  Cyprian  is  but  the  voice  of  his- 
tory in  regard  to  the  popular  party  which,  in  later  times, 
changed  both  the  action  and  subjects  of  baptism,  and 
produced  that  monstrous  system  called  Popery.  It  can 
not  be  found  in  history  that  a  single  case  of  sprinkling, 
pouring,  aspersion,  or  perfusion,  for  baptism,  has  ever  oc- 
curred among  the  Novatians,  unless  Novatian  himself  was 
one.  And  it  will  be  remembered  that  Novatian  received 
his  "  baptism,"  unless  he  was  re-baptized,  in  the  lax  party 
from  which  he  separated  on  the  account  of  their  loose  dis- 
cipline. In  regard  to  the  rise  of  aspersion,  Elder  Varden 
remarks;  "We  shall  quote  only  one  Pedobaptist  authoi 


Cyprian  for  Affusion,  323 

to  evince  this.  Ailing  says:  ^Aspersion  is  first  men- 
tioned by  Cyprian,  ^vlio  died  as  a  martyr,  A.  D.  259. 
Those  who  could  not  with  safety  be  immersed,  in  conse- 
quence of  sickness,  had  water  poured  over  them;  but  it 
was  doubted  whether  such  a  baptism  was  lawful.  But 
Cyprian  took  in  hand  to  defend  it — in  such  a  way,  how- 
ever, as  not  to  censure  those  who  opposed  it;  yet  even  he 
did  not  maintain  that  it  could  be  employed  promiscuously 
with  immersion  in  cases  of  health.^  And  in  another  place 
Alting  tells  us  that  *  Cyprian,  arguing  for  aspersion,  em- 
ployed neither  apostolic  testimony  nor  examjjle.'  And  we 
may  add,  that  of  all  the  laws  which,  during  centuries,  were 
made  concerning  baptism,  no  one  made  sprinkling  and 
immersion  indifferent,  till  the  Council  of  Ravenna,  A.  D. 
1311,  declared  them  so.  Hence  it  is  that  the  scholastic 
theologians,  while  they  argue  for  pouring  and  sprinkling, 
declare  immersion  the  safest  modeJ^ 

From  this  statement  of  the  facts  of  history  in  regard  to 
the  rise  of  aspersion,  etc.,  for  baptism,  it  is  clearly  shown 
that  the  first  advocates  of  this  departure  from  the  divine 
pattern,  did  not  plead  the  examj)le  of  the  apostles,  or  the 
Scriptures,  to  justify  their  course.  Aspersion  was  plead  in 
cases  of  necessity,  where  the  subject  was  in  danger  of  death. 
It  was,  therefore,  the  idea  of  baptismal  salvation  which 
produced  the  change  from  immersion  to  perfusion,  pour- 
ing, and  finally,  to  sprinkling,  Avhich  w^as  established  by 
law,  at  Ravenna,  in  thirteen  hundred  and  eleven. 

But,  to  return  to  the  case  of  Novatian :  there  is  no  reli- 
ance to  be  placed  in  the  charges  of  Cornelius  against  No- 
vatian,  because  it  is  known  that  he  accused  him  with  many 
things  of  which  he  was  not  guilty.  Novatian  was  the  first 
at  Rome  to  make  a  successful  stand  against  the  corruptiona 


324  TJie  J<!ovaiian  (Period. 

advocated  by  the  popular  party  of  which  Cornelius  was 
the  head.  Cornelius,  in  his  malice,  tried  to  invalidate  the 
character,  religion,  baptism,  and  ministry,  of  Novatian.  In 
his  letters,  to  Fabius,  bishop  of  Antioch,  he  called  Novatian 
a  "malicious  beast ^^;  and  he  accuses  him  of  "villainy,^' 
"fraud  and  treachery  ^' ;  that  Satan  instigated  "his  faith ^^ 
and  entered  into  him,  "and  dwelt  a  long  time.'^  Corne- 
lius accused  Novatian  of  drunkenness  and  blasphemy, 
with  many  other  dreadful  crimes.  But  as  all  those  charges 
concerning  his  morality  are  knoAvn  to  be  utterly  false,  is 
there  no  room  to  doubt  the  testimony  of  Cornelius  concern- 
ing the  aspersion  of  Novatian  ?  Must  we  take  the  state- 
ments of  a  known  fabricator  of  falsehoods  f  But,  granting 
that  it  is  true  that  Novatian  had  no  baptism  at  all,  this 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  succession  of  those  who  were 
nicknamed  Novatians;  for  they,  as  a  religious  community, 
neither  received  their  baptism  nor  origin  from  Novatian. 
The  want  of  baptism  in  Novatian  can  no  more  affect  the 
succession  of  the  Novatians  than  the  "  alien  ^^  immersion 
of  a  Baptist  preacher  can  affect  the  Baptist  succession. 
The  Novatians  did  not  practice  aspersion  at  all.  They 
were  so  strict  in  regard  to  the  purity  of  baptism  that  they 
would  not  receive  the  immersions  performed  by  the  popular 
party.  They  did  not  regard  the  corrupt  churches  as 
churches  of  Christ,  and,  therefore,  they  considered  their 
immersions  as  invalid. 

Fifth :  And  again,  it  is  evident  that  the  Novatians  pos- 
sessed the  Baptist  peculiarity  of  holding  equality  in  privi- 
lege in  the  transaction  of  church  business.  This  has  been 
a  cherished  point  of  doctrine  with  the  Baptists  in  all  ages. 
The  usurpation  of  lordship  over  the  churches,  by  ministers 
in  the  corrupt  party,  developed  itself  gradually  in  the 


Equality  among  the  Movatians.  325 

third  century.      Mr.  Milman,  in  his  history  of  Christi- 
anity, speaking  of  this  period,  says:  "But  each  church 

was  still  a  separate  and  independent  com- 

•j-       ikikikn^i      1        ^     X?         1-4.-1     MilmarCs  His.  of 
munity.  ^  -f"  ^   1  he  level  oi  ecclesiastical     ^„   .  ^        ..^  •' 
;;  .      .  Christ.,  p.  446. 

or  Episcopal  dignity  gradually  broke  up; 
some  bishops  emerged  into  a  higher  rank  ;  the  single  com- 
munity over  which  the  bishop  originally  presided,  grew 
into  the  aggregation  of  several  communities,  and  founded 
a  diocese;  the  Metropolitan  rose  above  the  ordinary  bishop, 
the  patriarch  assumed  a  rank  above  the  Metropolitan,  till 
at  length,  in  the  regularly  graduated  scale,  the  primacy  of 
Rome  was  asserted,  and  submitted  to  by  the  humble  and 
obsequious  West.^^  This  quotation  throws  light  upon  two 
points;  first,  that  in  this  period  each  church  was  still  a 
separate  and  independent  community;  and,  second,  that 
it  was  the  Catholic  party  which  gradually  broke  up  the 
level  of  ecclesiastical  dignity,  and  finally  culminated  into 
what  is  known  as  the  primacy  of  Rome.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence that  the  [N^ovatians  deviated  from  this  principle  of 
equality.  It  was  so  fully  developed,  that  in  the  former 
period  religious  equality  prevailed  among  the  churches; 
and  it  being  generally  admitted  that  the  same  purity  of 
discipline  prevailed  among  the  Novatians,  therefore  we 
are  safe  in  the  conclusion  that  they  maintained  the  same 
doctrine  of  equality  in  church  affairs. 

Sixth:  There  will  be  no  difficulty  whatever  in  settling 
the  point,  that  the  Novatian  churches  were  strict  in  their 
communion.  In  fact,  this  was  the  general  complaint  of 
their  enemies  against  them,  that  they  were  unreasonably 
strict  in  their  terms  of  communion.     Mos- 

heim    remarks    of    the    Novatians,   that :       ^^*      *    ^^  ^'^' 

p.  74. 

"  This  sect  can  not  be  charged  with  having 


326  The  J<lovatian  (c'eriod. 

corrupted  the  doctrine  of  Christianity  by  their  opinions ; 
their  crime  was,  that,  by  the  unreasonable  severity  of  their 
discipline,  they  gave  occasion  to  the  most  deplorable  di- 
visions, and  made  an  unhappy  schism  in  the  church.'^ 
The  Novatians  were  so  strict  in  their  discipline  that  they 
Avould  not  admit,  under  any  circumstances,  to  their  com- 
munion those  of  their  own  members  who  relapsed  into 
idolatry,  in  times  of  persecution.  They  would  not  receive 
to  their  communion  immersed  persons  from  other  parties 
without  ^^  re-baptism  ^^;  and  consequently  they  obtained 
from  their  enemies  the  odious  name  of  Anabaptists.  On 
this  point,  Mr.  Orchard  truly  says : 
S.  Bapt  Review,    a^yi,^,,^  ^^^^^^^  ig  Anabaptism  there  can 

be  no  open  communion. ^^  The  Novatians 
^'re-baptized;  ^^  therefore,  they  were  strict  in  their  terms  of 
communion.  The  historic  proof  is  overwhelming,  that  the 
Novatians  possessed  the  Baptist  peculiarity  of  restricted 
communion. 

Lastly,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  showing  that  the  No- 
vatians possessed  the  peculiarity  of  being  persecuted  and 
every -where  sjooken  against.  On  the  subject  of  the  perse- 
cutions of  the  Novatians,  Mr.  Orchard  says:  "Innocent 

wrote  many  letters  to  various  bishops,  con- 

Orch.  Bapt.  His.,     ,    •    •       .\         ■>        r  j-     •    i-       •     i  •      i         i 
^„      ^  '    taming  the  rules  ot  discipline  m  his  church, 

plainly  with  the  intention  of  establishing 
uniformity.  This  uniformity  could  not  be  imposed  on  the 
Noval  ianists,  nor  would  they  receive  his  views  on  child- 
ren's baptism  and  communion ;  they,  consequently,  became 
the  object  of  his  aversion.  Another  means  of  awaken- 
ing the  Catholic  prelates'  anger,  w^as  re-baptizing,  *  *  ^ 
In  the  fourth  Lateran  council,  canons  were  made  to  banish 
them  as  heretics,  and  these  canons  were  supported  by  an 


J^ovatians  (Persecuted.  327 

edict,  in  413,  issued  by  the  emperors  Theodosius  and 
Ilonorious,  declaring  that  all  persons  ?'€-baptized,  and  the 
7'c-baptizers,  slioiild  be  both  punished  with  death.  Ac- 
cordingly, Albanus,  a  zealous  minister,  with  others,  was 
])nnished  with  death,  for  re-baptizing/^  It  should  be  ob- 
served that  the  persecutions  during  the  former  period  were 
by  the  pagans ;  but  the  persecutions  of  the  Novatians  were 
by  proi'cssed  Christians.  No  sooner  was  the  adulterous 
union  formed  between  church  and  state,  by  Constantine, 
than  persecution  began  to  be  waged  in  the  name  of  Chris- 
tianity. In  the  fourth  century  the  Novatians  were  perse- 
cuted under  the  Arian  emperor,  Valcns.  It  made  no  dif- 
ference whether  the  orthodox  Catholics,  or  Arians,  had  the 
ascendency — they  both  alike  persecuted  the  hated  Nova- 
tians.    Mr.  Jones,  the  historian,  says:  "But  the  conduct 

of  Valcns  was  not  regulated  by  the  strict 

1         p         'i.        r      •     1  •  J.*         1        Jones'   Ch.  His.. 

rules  01  equity;  lor  in  his  persecutions  he  „  ' 

included  the  Novatians,  whose  churches  he 
commanded  to  be  shut  up,  and  their  pastors  banished, 
although,  so  far  as  I  can  perceive,  they  took  no  part  what- 
ever in  the  squabbles  that  existed  between  the  contending 
factions.'^  Though  the  Novatians  were  bitterly  persecuted 
by  all  parties  who  possessed  the  power,  yet,  when  they 
were  tolerated,  they  used  their  influence  to  relieve  those 
who  had  persecuted  them.  They  never  persecuted  others. 
The  council  of  Nice  convened  in  the  year  325,  in  order  to 
settle  the  Arian  controversy.  The  Emperor  Constantine, 
who  called  this  council,  decided  that  its  decrees  were  in- 
fallible;   for  he  said:    "What   they   had 

decreed  was  the  will  of  God,  and  that  the      ^^ff'-     ^'      ^^'' 

p.  137. 

agreement  of  so  great  a  number  of  such 

bishops  was  by  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost."     So  Con- 


328  The  J\^ ovation  (Period. 

stantinc  banished,  and  persecuted  in  various  ways,  the  No- 
vatians,  and  others,  for  refusing  to  submit  to  the  decrees  of 
the  council  of  Xice.  It  is  admitted  by  all  historians  that 
the  Xovatians  were  peculiarly  hated,  persecuted,  and  every- 
where spoken  against,  because  of  their  faith  and  practice; 
therefore,  the  Novatians  possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree, 
that  characteristic  which  points  out  the  Baptists  as  perse- 
cuted and  every-where  spoken  against. 

We  have  now  seen  that  the  Baptist  peculiarities  were 
possessed  by  the  !N^ovatians,  and  as  these  are  Bible  pecu- 
liarities, we  therefore  conclude,  that  the  Novatians  form  a 
part  of  the  succession  of  Scriptural  churches  against  which 
the  gates  of  hell  have  never  prevailed.  The  Xovatians 
possessed  those  j^eculiar  marks,  in  all  that  is  essential  to 
church  organization,  which  would  now  identify  them  with 
the  Baptists.  The  Donatists  of  Africa  possessed  the  same 
peculiarities  with  the  Tsovatians,  and,  on  this  account,  may 
be  called  the  Kovatians  of  Africa.  And  in  regard  to  the 
Baptist   character   of  these   people,    Osiander,    a   writer 

of  the  sixteenth  century,  affirms  :  "  That 
See  D^ Anvers  on  t  \      \       j.-  ^  xi 

„  29Q  o^^^'  modern  Anabaptists  w^ere   the  same 

with  the  Donatists  of  old.  And  Fuller,  in 
his  Ecclesiastical  History  (1.  5,  p.  229),  saith,  that  the 
Anabaptists  are  the  Donatists,  new  dipt.  Bullinger  saith, 
the  Donatists  and  the  Anabaptists  held  the  same  opin- 
ions (Lib.  5,  fol.  216,  222,)  of  baptism.^' 

Other  authorities  might  be  introduced  in  confirmation 
cf  the  Baptist  character  of  the  Novatians,  but  it  is  wholly 
unnecessary.  It  is  absolutely  impossible  for  any  other 
denomination  in  Christendom  to  claim,  with  any  show  of 
truth,  identity  with  the  Novatians,  either  in  doctrine  or 
history.      The  Novatian   period  brings  us   down   to  the 


TJie  Great  Apostasy.  329 

middle  of  the  fifth  century,  four  hundred  and  fifty  years 
after  the  birth  of  Christ. 


Section  II. — The  geeat  apostasy. 

"  Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means :  for  that  day 
shall  not  come,  except  there  come  a  falling  9.04.' 

away  first,  and  that  man  of  sin  be  revealed, 
the  son  of  perdition  ;  who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself 
above  all  that  is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshiped ;  so 
that  he,  as  God,  sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  showing 
himself  that  he  is  God.^^  Some  have  supposed,  from  the 
foregoing  passage  of  Scripture,  that  the  falling  away  had 
reference  to  the  apostasy  or  falling  away  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  and,  therefore,  they  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  was  once  the  true  Church  of  Christ ! 
This  doctrine,  which  teaches  that  the  gates  of  hell  have 
prevailed  against  the  Church  of  Christ,  has  opened  the 
flood-gate  for  the  introduction  of  a  host  of  errors.  When 
we  take  the  position  that  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  has 
been  subverted,  and  become  the  kingdom  of  Antichrist, 
we  are  compelled  to  become  skeptics,  or  infidels,  concern- 
ing the  promises  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  perpetuity  of  his 
church ;  and  if  his  church  has  apostatized,  and  become 
the  kingdom  of  the  Devil,  then  Jesus  Christ  was  a  false 
prophet,  and,  therefore,  an  impostor.  But  we  must  believe 
that  the  heavens  would  sooner  pass  away,  and  the  pilkirs 
of  the  earth  be  removed,  than  that  one  jot  or  tittle  of  tbo 
words  of  Christ  should  fail.  This  prediction  .f  the  apos- 
tle concernim;-  the  falling  away,  had  no  reference  what- 
ever to  the  falling  away  of  the  true  church  or  kingdom 
of  Jesus  Christ ;  it  only  had  reference  to  the  falling  away 


330  The  Jlovatian  (Period. 

of  individual  congregations  and  persons  from  the  king- 
dom of  Christ.  This  is  in  keeping  with  the  testimony 
of  John,  where  he  says,  concerning  "Antichrists/^  that: 
"  They  went  out  from  us,  but  they  were  not 
of  us ;  for  if  they  had  been  of  us,  they  would 
no  doubt  have  continued  with  us  :  but  they  went  out,  that 
they  might  be  made  manifest  that  they  w^ere  not  all  of  us." 
These  Antichrists  went  out;  but  if  the  church  had  aposta- 
tized, then  there  would  have  been  no  going  out.  It  has 
ever  been  the  policy  of  Satan,  in  attempting  to  thwart  the 
designs  of  Heaven,  to  institute  a  counterfeit  to  the  various 
points  of  divine  worship.  When  Jesus  Christ  ordained 
true  apostles,  the  Devil  ordained  false  apostles ;  when  Jesus 
ordained  true  ministers,  the  Devil  ordained  his  ministers, 
who  transformed  themselves  into  ministers  of  righteous- 
ness ;  when  Jesus  Christ  established  his  ordinances,  Satan 
also  established  counterfeit  ordinances ;  when  Jesus  Christ 
established  his  church,  Satan  proceeded  to  establish  coun- 
terfeit churches.  And  by  this  satanic  policy  of  counter- 
feiting, the  Devil  has  done  more  to  impede  the  cause  of 
Christ  than  by  any  other  means  which  he  has  ever  in- 
vented. And  in  order  the  better  to  open  the  way  for  every 
new  invention  in  the  way  of  church  organization  which  he 
may  w^ish  to  establish,  he  has  induced  the  world  to  believe 
that  the  church  established  by  Christ  has  apostatized. 
And  now  we  have  hundreds  of  so-called  churches  in  the 
world,  claiming  to  be  either  the  church  or  branches  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  Old  papal  Rome  stands  forth  at  the 
head  of  the  list  in  all  her  pontifical  pride,  and  claims  to 
be  the  mother  and  mistress  of  all  other  churches;  and 
around  her  are  gathered  her  brood  of  mystic  daughters, 
who  are  trying  to  pluck  the  laurels  from  the  brow  of  their 


(korue  net  to  be  ^Reformed.  331 

mother;  and,  at  the  same  time,  other  newly-hatched  eccle- 
siastical fledglings  are  attempting  to  soar  into  the  heavens 
to  divide  dignity  and  honors  with  their  more  ancient 
rivals. 

Every  few  years  gives  birth  to  some  mighty  intellectual 
giant  whose  powers  are  brought  into  requisition  in  at- 
tempting to  purify  some  of  the  polluted  streams  of  Popery, 
and  thereby  prepare  a  suitable  river  of  salvation.  They 
are  trying  to  reform,  either  the  old  mother  of  abomina- 
tions, or  some  one  of  her  polluted  daughters,  in  order  to 
prepare  a  bride  for  Jesus  Christ.  If  they  were  not  wholly 
skeptical  in  regard  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  they  would  not  dare  to  attempt  the  reformation 
of  any  part  of  Antichrist.  The  reformers  of  false  churches 
have  undertaken  a  work  to  which  God  has  not  called  them. 
They  have  run  without  being  sent.  They  might  just  as 
well  attempt  to  purify  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The 
folly  and  presumption  of  such  men  have  certainly  reached 
the  superlative  degree,  from  the  fact  that  they  ought  to 
know  that  if  the  kingdom  that  Christ  set  up  has  aposta- 
tized and  come  to  nothing,  certainly  their  reformations  will 
fare  no  better.  They  have  overlooked  the  prophetic  dec- 
larations concerning  the  fate  of  mystic  Babylon  —  the 
Church  of  Home ;  for,  instead  of  being  reformed,  she  is 
doomed  by  the  Word  of  God  to  utter  destruction.  Her 
body  is  to  be  burned  with  fire,  and  her  overthroAv  is  to  be 
as  when  a  mighty  mill-stone  is  cast  with  violence  into 
the  sea. 

The  Church  of  Kome,  as  an  organization,  has  never 
been,  is  not  now,  and  never  will  be  a  church  of  Christ. 
Sl\e  did  not  originate  with  the  Church  of  Christ.  She  is 
of  her  father,  the  Devil.     It  is  very  important,  however, 


332  TJie  J^ovatiaii  (Period. 

with  the  Protestant  churches,  to  show  that  the  Romish 
Church  either  has  been,  or  is  now,  the  true  Church  of 
Christ  visible ;  otherwise  all  their  own  claims  to  be  true 
churches  would  be  null  and  void,  as  emanating  from  the 
corru  pt  fountain  of  a  false  church.  Mr.  J.  L.  AValler  shows 
the  utter  fallacy  of  the  claims  to  have  reformed  the  Church 

of  Rome,  as  follows :  "  AVe  take  the  Re- 

Baptists  not  Pro-    n  i.    j.\    '  j  ^    r  j.i  • 

^  ,  ,  -,/>!-  lormers  at  their  word;  and  trom  this 
testants,  pp.  16, 1  / .                .                            ^    ,     .                 ,      . 

favorite  passage  of  theirs,  w^e  insist  that 

the  Romanish  Church  was  never  the  Church  of  Christ 
visible,  and  was  never  to  be  reformed.  The  first  appearance 
this  church  makes  in  prophetic  vision,  she  bears  the  name 
of,  '  Mystery,  Babylon  the  Great,  the  Mother  .of  Harlots 
and  abominations  of  the  earth.^  She  reels,  intoxicated 
with  the  blood  of  the  saints.  She  has  no  prior  history. 
The  prophet  saw  her  beginning ;  the  name  she  then  bore ; 
he  contemplated  her  career,  and  beheld  her  overthrow. 
She  was  the  same  miserable,  cruel,  unholy,  drunken  ecclesi- 
astical baAvd,  from  first  to  last.  There  is  no  intimation  to 
justify  the  conclusion  that  '  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,^ 
ever  degenerated  into  the  'whore  of  Babylon,^  making  all 
nations  drunk  with  the  wine  of  her  fornication  ;  and  much 
less  is  there  anything  in  this  chapter  to  favor  the  conclusion 
that  'Babylon  the  Great,'  by  a  mere  cliange  of  the  exte- 
rior a])pearances,  is  to  be  transformed  into  the  '  New  Jeru- 
salem.' On  the  contrary,  John  was  permitted  to  see  her 
destruction,  like  a  great  mill-stone  cast  into  the  sea,  and 
to  hear  the  shouts  of  glad  angels,  saying :  '  Babylon  the 
Great  is  fixllcn,  is  fallen,  and  is  become  the  habitations  of 
Devils,  and  the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit,  and  a  cage  of 
every  unclean  and  hateful  bird.'  Does  this  teach  refor- 
mation?    Is  this  the  purgation  which  is  to  transmute  the 


The  Great  Apostasy.  333 

Romish  Churcli  into  apostolic  purity  ?  In  short,  reforma- 
tion is  nowhere  inculcated  in  the  Scriptures.  It  is  a 
work  to  which  God  has  called  no  man  or  set  of  men. 
Those  Avho  engage  in  it,  run  without  being  sent ;  and  arc 
laboring  for  an  end  which,  if  attained,  would  discredit 
the  predictions  of  the  prophets,  and  set  at  naught  many 
of  the  most  positive  declarations  of  the  Almighty.'' 

Instead  of  vainly  attempting  to  reform  this  monstrous 
system  of  iniquity,  God  has  commanded  all  his  saints  to 
"  Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not 
partakers  of  her  sins,  xind  that  ye  receive 
not  of  her  plagues."  It  was  found,  in  the  former  period, 
that  several  fundamental  errors  made  their  appearance. 
These  errors, —  baptismal  salvation,  infant  baptism,  the 
hierarchy,  etc., — paved  the  way  for  the  overt  act  of  apos- 
tasy which  occurred  in  the  middle  of  the  third  century. 
After  every  means  had  foiled  to  reclaim  the  party  — 
churches  and  individuals  —  which  had  already  embraced 
the  forementioned  heresies,  in  the  year  251,  the  faithful 
churches  and  brethren  declared  non-fellowship  with  the 
corrupt  party.  They  had,  step  by  step,  departed  from  the 
simplicity  of  Bible  worship,  until  many  of  them  had 
passed  the  boundary  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  They 
had  apostatized,  or  gone  out  from  the  fellowship  of  the 
true  churches,  which  remained  steadfast  in  the  support  of 
the  ordinances  as  they  were  delivered.  This  is  the  begin- 
ning of  that  great  apostasy  which  finally  assumed  the  huge 
pr/^portions  of  Antichrist.  And  after  the  apostasy,  or 
falling  away,  had -occurred,  in  the  year  251,  the  corrupt 
interest  made  fearful  strides  toward  that  fearful  darkness 
and  idolatry  which  characterized  Rome  through  the  dark 
ages.     It  is  usually  asserted  by  historians,  that  the  union 


334  The  JSlovatian  (Period. 

of  church  and  state  occurred  in  the  year  312,  under  the 
Emperor  Constantine.  This  statement  is  not  strictly  cor- 
rect. The  union  effected  by  Constantine,  in  the  year  312, 
was  betNveen  tlie  corrupt  church  and  the  state,  or  empire. 
The  true  Church  of  Christ  has  never  entered  into  an 
adulterous  union  with  the  civil  power.  After  the  con- 
solidation of  what  is  usually  called  the  church  with  the 
civil  dominion,  under  Constantine  as  the  head  of  both 
church  and  state,  the  progress  of  corruption  was  frightful. 
On  this  point  Mr.  Dowling  says :  '^  Soon  after  Constan- 
tine professed  conversion  to  Christianity, 
DowUnc/s  Jlis.  of   ^  i     ^     i    x  i  i    xi  x. 

-r,         .  oi     he  undertook  to  remodel  the  p-overnment 

Iiomanmi\  p.  31.  .  ° 

of  the  church,  so  as  to  make  it  conform  as 
much  as  possible  to  the  government  of  the  state.  Hence 
the  origin  of  the  dignities  of  patriarchs,  exarchs,  arch- 
bishops, canons,  prebendaries,  etc.,  intended  by  the  Em- 
peror to  correspond  with  the  different  secular  offices  and 
dignities  connected  with  the  civil  administration  of  the 
empire.^'     The  same  writer  farther  remarks :    '^  From  this 

„     ,  time  onward,  the  proo;ress  of  priestly  dom- 

Ilis.  Bom.,  p.  31.     .       .  '         ^      ^  ^  ^  ^         .  , 

mation  and  tyranny  was  lar  more  rapid 

than  in  any  previous  age.  The  lofty  title  of  Patriarch  W'as 
assumed  by  the  bishops  of  Rome,  Alexandria,  Antioch, 
and  Jerusalem,  and  also  of  Constantinople,  after  the  remo- 
val of  the  seat  of  empire  to  that  city :  claiming,  according 
to  Bingham  (Antiquities,  B.  II,  ch.  17),  ^the  right  to  or- 
dain all  the  metropolitans  of  their  own  diocese;  to  call  dio- 
cesan synods,  and  to  preside  over  them ;  to  receive  appeals 
from  metropolitan  and  provincial  synods;  to  censure  me- 
tropolitans and  their  suffragan  bishops;  to  pronounce  ab- 
solutions upon  great  criminals,  and  to  be  absolute  and 
independent,  one  of  an  other.^  '^    And  thus  we  might  con- 


The  Grccit  ^poztdzy. 


tinue  to  cite  authorities  to  show  the  increasing  corruption 
of  that  false  church  which  originated  from  the  apostasy, 
after  the  middle  of  the  third  century.  It  is  the  history  of 
this  corrupt  antichristian  apostasy  which  is  given  to  the 
world  as  the  history  of  the  church  !  It  is  altogether  a  mis- 
nomer to  call  the  apostasy  the  Church  of  Christ,  in  any 
sense:  it  is  the  synagogue  of  Satan.  As  an  organization, 
it  had  its  origin  in  the  third  century,  out  of  the  apostasy 
from  the  truth.  We  will  note  the  progress  of  this  mystery 
of  iniquity  in  the  next  period.  It  is  evident  from  the 
Word  of  God,  and  church  history,  that  the  true  Church  is 
not  to  be  found  enveloped  in  the  apostasy  with  Antichrist; 
we  must,  therefore,  look  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ  some- 
where else. 


33G  The   Wakiensean  (Period. 


CHAPTEE   XYIL 

THE  WALDENSEAN  PEEIOD— 1260  YEAES. 

1.  The  Prophetic  History  of  the  CnrECH  Durixg  this 

Period. 

2.  The  Peculiarities  applied  to  the  Waldenses. 

3.  False  Churches  which  arose  During  this  Period. 

Section  I. — The  prophetic  histoey  of  the  chupch 

DURING  this  period. 

"And  to  the  woman  Avere  given  two  wings  of  a  great 

_  eao-le,  that  she  mi^ht  fly  into  the  wiklerness, 

Rev.  12:  14.       .  .  . 

into  her  place,  where  she  is  nourished  for  a 

time,  and  times,  and  half  a  time,  from  the  face  of  the  ser- 
pent." I  do  not  claim  that  the  true  churches  are  known 
in  history  by  the  name  Waldenses  during  the  entire  period 
of  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years;  but  they  were  called 
Waldenses  the  most  of  this  time ;  and  it  is  generally  admit- 
ted that  the  churches  which  became  known  as  Waldenses 
in  the  eleventh  century,  existed  previously  in  the  valleys 
of  the  Alps,  with  the  same  leading  characteristics;  and 
that  the  same  class  of  people  existed  in  the  valleys,  as  the 
true  witnesses  of  Christ,  during  the  twelve  hundred  and 
sixty  years.  I  will,  therefore,  take  the  privilege,  as  se\- 
eral  historians  have  done,  of  applying  the  term  YValdenses 
to  the  entire  prophetic  period  of  the  preservation  of  the 
woman  in  the  wilderness,  or  during  the  sackcloth  testimony 
of  the  Church. 

Nearly  all  historians  are  agreed  that  the  true  church, 


Flight  of  the  Woman  into  the  Wilderness.    337 

under  the  symbol  of  a  woman,  was  driven  into  the  wilder- 
ness after  the  great  apostasy,  where  she  was  "nourished 
for  a  time,  and  times,  and  half  a  time,  from  the  face  of  the 
serpent  ^^ ;  and  it  is  understood  that  a  time  is  one  year,  times 
two  years,  and  a  half  time,  one  half  of  a  year ;  so  that  the 
time,  times,  and  half  time,  are  three  and  a  half  prophetic 
years;  and  as  three  and  a  half  years,  in  the  Scripture  com- 
putation of  time,  make  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  days, — 
and  in  prophecy  a  day  stands  for  a  year, — therefore,  we 
have  the  period  of  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years  as  the 
wilderness  period  of  the  Church.  And  that  we  are  not 
mistaken  in  the  period,  is  shown  from  the  following :  "  And 

the  woman  fled  into  the  Avilderness,  where     ^ 

Rev.  12:  6. 
she  hath  a  place  prepared  of  God,  that  they 

should  feed  her  there  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  three 
score  days." 

Thus,  we  have  the  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  days,  a 
day  for  a  year,  as  the  explanation  of  the  time,  times,  and 
half  a  time.  In  entering  upon  this  obscure  period  of  church 
history,  it  is  very  important  that  we  give  heed  to  the  pro- 
phetic word  as  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place.  Some 
have  very  erroneously  supposed  that  the  wilderness  period 
of  the  church  was  a  time  in  which  the  church  was  in  a 
state  of  apostasy,  and  that  the  flight  into  the  wilderness 
referred  to  the  apostasy  or  corruption  of  the  church.  But 
the  very  opposite  is  true ;  the  flight  into  the  wilderness  was 
not  an  apostasy  or  corruption  of  the  church ;  but  it  was  the 
retirement  of  the  church  before  the  apostate  and  corrupt 
power.  It  should  be  observed,  that  the  woman  fled  to  "  a 
place  prepared  of  God,"  and  Avas  there  preserved  "  from 
the  face  of  the  serpent";  but  this  would  not  have  been  the 
case  had  she  gone  into  pollution  in  the  foul  embraces  of 


e338  The   Waldensean  (Period. 

the  dragon  ix)wer.  I  am  fully  satisfied  that  the  Walden- 
soan  period  of  the  church,  during  her  retirement  in  the 
wilderness,  is  the  purest  part  of  her  history  since  the 
apostolic  age.  In  the  wilderness  she  had  less  inducements 
to  conformity  with  the  world.  8he  was  persecuted  by  the 
dragon  while  she  prophesied  in  sackcloth  during  this  wil- 
derness period.  When  it  is  said,  the  woman,  or  church, 
iied  into  the  wiklerness,  the  term  wilderness  in  this  proph- 
ecy indicates  more  than  the  locality  in  a  Avaste  and  desert 
country.  It  also  refers,  doubtless,  to  the  darkness,  ob- 
scurity, or  barrenness,  of  the  dark  ages.  Owing  to  the 
relentless  persecution  waged  against  the  church  by  the 
dragon,  very  few  materials  for  church  history,  except  from 
enemies,  have  been  preserved.  I  understand  that  the  flight 
of  the  woman  into  the  wiklerness  has  reference  to  the  re- 
tirement of  the  main  body  of  the  Novatians  from  Italy 
about  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century;  and  also  to  the 
retirement  of  the  church  into  obscurity,  so  as  to  be  lost 
sight  of,  as  the  true  church,  by  the  world  and  the  great 
mass  of  historians.  Any  church  whose  history  has  not 
been  involved  in  obscurity  and  doubt,  can  lay  no  claims 
whatever  to  be  the  true  church  which  fled  into  the  wilder- 
ness. The  fact  that  the  world  did  not  recognize  the  claims 
of  the  AValdenses,  is  no  evidence  whatever  that  they  were 
not  the  witnesses  for  Christ.  In  the  time  of  Christ  and, 
the  apostles,  the  entire  world,  both  .Jew  and  Gentile,  ex- 
Ci'pt  a  few,  repudiated  the  claims  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ.  And  even  at  the  present  time  the  world  rejects 
with  contempt  the  claims  of  the  true  church. 

Historians  differ  somewhat  in  regard  to  the  precise  time 
when  the  church  made  her  flight  into  the  wilderness.  Some 
think  it  occurred  in  tlie  time  of  Constantine  the  great, 


J^ovatians  ^Retire  into  the   Valleys.        339 

about  tlic  year  325 ;  others  tliink  it  took  place  about  the  year 
270,  and  some  think  it  occurred  at  an  earlier  date.  It  i.s 
admitted  that  there  were  settlements  of  true  Chrietians 
i'ornied  in  the  valleys  of  the  Alps  in  very  early  times,  prob- 
ably in  the  apostolic  age;  and  others  emigrated,  from  time 
to  time,  under  the  various  persecutions,  and  took  shelter 
in  these  mountain  retreats;  but  from  all  the  light  which 
I  can  gather,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  true  date  of  the  llight 
of  the  woman  into  the  wilderness  was  not  before  the  year 
413,  when  banishment  and  death  was  decreed  against  the 
Novatians  on  account  of  their  ^^  rc-haptizing^^  those  who 
came  from  the  Catholics.  This  view  is  sustained  by  Mr. 
Orchard,  as  follows:  "In  the  fourth  Lat- 
cran  council,  canons  were  made  to  banish         „,.      '■  ' 

them  (the  Novatians)  as  heretics,  and  these 
canons  were  sup[)ortcd  by  an  edict,  in  413,  issued  by  the 
emperors  Theodosius  and  llonorious,  declaring  that  all 
persons  /^-baptized,  and  the  rc-baptizers,  should  be  both 
punished  with  death.  Accordingly,  Albanus,  a  zealous 
minister,  with  others,  were  punished  with  death,  for  re- 
baptizing.  The  edict  was  probably  obtained  by  the  inliu- 
encc  of  Augustine,  who  could  endure  no  rival,  nor  would 
he  bear  with  any  who  questioned  the  virtue  of  his  rites, 
or  the  sanctity  of  his  brethren,  or  the  soundness  of  the 
Catholic  creed ;  and  these  points  being  disjiutcMl  by  the  No- 
vatianists  and  Donatists, two  powerful  and  extensive  bodies 
of  dissidents  in  Italy  and  Africa,  they  were  cons(Mpicntly 
made  to  feel  the  weight  of  his  influence.  Tliesc  combined 
modes  of  oppiwssion  led  th<^  faithful  to  abandon  tlu»  citi(\s, 
and  seek  retreats  in  the  country,  which  i\\cy  did,  particu- 
larly in  the  valUws  of  Piedmont,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
began  to  be  called  Waldcnses."     About  this  time  a  s(M*ies 


340  The   Waldensean  (Period. 

of  persecutions  were  inaugurated  against  the  Novatians  in 
Italy,  and  they  soon  retired  in  vast  numbers  into  the  val- 
leys of  Piedmont  and  other  places  of  security;  so,  we  may 
safely  conclude  that  the  woman,  the  church,  was  in  the 
wilderness  as  early  as  four  hundred  and  ticenty-five  or  six. 
These  persecutions  are  stated  as  follows:  "In  412  the  Bap- 
tists were  banished  as  heretics.     In   413 

/c  .     p  .     I  .,    ji^j-jQceut  sent  letters  of  advice  to  various 
p.  61;  note. 

ministers.     In  the  same  year,  the  Baptists, 

for  re-baptizing,  were  sentenced  to  death.  In  416  a  coun- 
cil at  Mela  accursed  all  those  who  denied  forgiveness  to 
accompany  infant  baptism,  and  in  418  a  council  at  Car- 
thage enforced  the  same  curse.'^  And  not  long  after  the 
inauguration  of  this  dreadful  series  of  persecutions  against 
the  Novatians,  says  Mr.  Orchard,  "These  holy  people  now 
retired  from  public  notice." 

We  may  safely  commence  the  AYaldensean  period  as 
early  as  the  year  four  hundred  and  twenty-six.  It  is  true, 
that  all  the  Novatians  had  not  departed  from  Italy;  but 
the  main  body  of  these  people  had  retired  to  the  valleys 
of  the  Alps  and  other  places  of  retreat.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  a  remnant  of  these  people  still  remained 
in  Italy ;  and  a  succession  of  them  continued,  for  centu- 
ries, under  the  name  Paterines.  As  already  intimated, 
the  prominent  facts  concerning  the  flight  of  the  church, 
are  brought  to  view  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Pevelations, 
by  means  of  the  woman  as  a  symbol  of  the  church.  The 
reader  is  requested  to  pause  and  read  that  chapter.  It  is 
said,  in  verse  seventh:  "And  there  was  war 
in  heaven:  Michael  and  his  angels  fought 
against  the  dragon ;  and  the  dragon  fought  and  his  an- 
gels, and  prevailed  not;   neither  was  their  place  found 


J^ovatians  (Retire  into  the   Valleys.        3-11 

any  more  in  heaven.  And  the  great  dragon  was  cast  out, 
that  old  serpent,  called  the  Devil  and  Satan,  which  dc- 
ceiveth  the  whole  world :  he  was  cast  out  into  the  earth, 
and  his  angels  were  cast  out  with  him."  This  "war  in 
heaven"  probably  has  reference  to  the  conflict  between 
Jesus  Christ — "^^  Michael" — at  the  head  of  his  angels,  the 
true  ministers,  on  one  hand,  and  the  Devil  as  the  head  of 
his  angels,  false  ministers,  on  the  other.  The  Devil,  at  the 
head  of  the  dragon  power,  hoped  to  subvert  the  kingdom 
of  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  change  of  the  form  of  church 
government,  the  change  of  the  ordinances,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  his  "  angels,"  or  ministers  over  the  churches. 
On  the  other  hand,  Jesus,  as  the  head  of  his  church,  led 
on  his  "  angels,"  true  ministers,  to  the  terrible  conflict 
with  the  dragon  and  his  angels.  The  term  heaven,  here, 
can  not  mean  the  place  of  rest;  but  it  may,  in  this  place, 
refer  to  the  elevated  position  which  the  church  occupies 
as  the  light  of  the  world.  This  war  was  in  the  religious 
elements,  or  religious  heaven  occupied  by  the  church.  I 
am  of  opinion  that  this  "war"  points  out  the  struggle  be- 
tween the  true  and  false  ministers  about  the  time  of  the 
beginning  of  the  Novatian  period.  And  the  casting  out 
of  the  "Devil  and  his  angels"  very  likely  refers  to  the 
total  and  final  rejection  of  the  corrupt  and  popular  party, 
with  all  their  ordinances  and  church  claims,  by  those  who 
were  called  Novatians.  These  false  ministers  were  in 
nominal  fellowship  with  the  true  ministers  till  the  di- 
vision, called  the  Novatian  rupture,  but  then  they  were 
"  cast  out "  from  this  fellowship  by  the  true  churches. 
Their  being  cast  out  into  the  earth,  may  have  ailusion  to 
the  total  abandonment,  on  the  part  of  those  that  followed 
the  dragon,  of  all  correct  principles  of  church  organiza- 


842  TJie   Waldciisean  (Period. 

tion,  and  the  union  of  the  corrupt  church  and  state.  Cer- 
tainly this  union  of  church  and  state  with  all  the  Romish 
idolatries  has  been  a  "  Wo  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
and  the  sea."  I  am  driven  to  these  conclusions^  from  the 
fact  that  the  "war  in  heaven"  and  the  casting  out  of  the 
dragon  comes  before  the  flight  of  the  woman.  And  the 
drawing  down  of  "  the  third  part  of  the  stars  of  heaven  " 
by  the  tail  of  the  dragon,  doubtless  has  reference  to  the 
departure  of  the  third  part  of  the  ministry  which  followed 
the  dragon  when  he  was  cast  down  to  the  earth. 

We  now  proceed  to  sum  up  the  prophetic  proofs  which 
show  that  the  true  church  was  preserved  during  the 
wilderness  period  of  her  history. 

First:  As  already  seen,  she  was  fed  in  the  wilderness 
for  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years,  from  the  face  of 
the  dragon.  But  if  the  church  apostatized,  or  became 
extinct,  this  Scripture  could  not  be  true;  but  as  this 
jirophecy  is  true,  therefore  the  succession  or  perpetuity  of 
the  church,  through  this  dark  period,  is  established  be- 
yond the  possibility  of  a  doubt. 

Second:  The  Lord  said  by  the  angel :  "And  I  will  give 
r)  .  q       power  unto  my  two  witnesses,  and  they  shall 

prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  three 
score  days  clothed  in  sackcloth."  If  these  w^itnesses  refer 
to  the  testimony  borne  by  the  church  in  the  wilderness, 
and  this  is  generally  believed,  then  the  church  remained 
firm  in  her  prophesying  or  teaching  through  the  entire 
period  of  her  stay  in  the  wilderness. 

Third:  It  is  affirmed  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  that:  "In 

^       ^     ^^       the   days  of  these   kinoes  shall  the  God  of 
Ban.  2:   44.  ''  ^ 

heaven  set  up  a  kingdom,  wdiich  shall  never 

be  destroyed ;  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other 


The  Church  in  the  Wilderness.  343 

people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these 
kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  forever/'  And  as  this  pro- 
phecy is  admitted  to  refer  to  the  kingdom  or  church  of 
Christ,  it,  therefore,  sustains  the  doctrine  of  church  suc- 
cession or  perpetuity.  This  is  also  illustrated  by  the  stone 
which  symbolized  the  kingdom,  that  smote  the  image  and 
broke  it  to  pieces,  and  finally  "  became  a  great  mountain, 
and  filled  the  whole  earth."  The  stone  kingdom  did  not 
become  extinct;  neither  has  it  been  given  to  other  people; 
but  "  it  shall  stand  forever." 

Fourth:  Once  more;  the  Savior  himself  declared,  that 
"  Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church ;  and  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  No  one  who  believes 
the  Word  of  God  can  reasonably  doubt  the  existence 
of  the  true  church  ever  since  it  was  first  established.  But 
the  same  prophetic  Word  which  teaches  the  perpetuity  of 
the  church,  also  teaches  that  the  church  went  into  ob- 
scurity, where  she  remained  twelve  hundred  and  sixty 
years.  This  doctrine  is  also  taught  in  the  prophetic  Song 
of  Solomon,  which  points  out  the  tender  relations  existing 
between  Jesus  Christ,  the  Bridegroom,  and  the  church, 
his  bride,  by  the  intimate  relations  existing  between  the 
husband  and  wife.  Jesus,  the  Bridegroom,  speaking  to 
the  bride,  his  church,  says:  "Oh  my  dove, 

thou  art  in  the  clefts  of  the  rock,  in  the  secret    '^^"^  f  fj"^ 

.  '  mo7i,  2:  14. 

phices  of  the  stairs,  let  me  see  thy  counte- 
nance, let  me  hear  thy  voice :  for  sweet  is  thy  voice,  and 
thy  countenance  is  comely."  This  tender  expression  of 
the  bridegroom,  representing  the  bride  as  in  the  cleft  of 
the  rochj  in  the  secret  places  of  the  stairs,  doubtless  points 
out  the  history  of  the  church  during  her  wilderness  ob- 
scurity, while  secreted  in  the  cleft  or  stairs  of  the  Alpiue 


344  The  Waldensean  (Period. 

mountains.  The  bridegroom  also  represents  her  as  his 
^^  undefiled/'  fair  one,  Avhich  shows  that  the  church  re- 
mained uncorrnpted  and  pure  during  her  wilderness  testi- 
mony. And  the  Savior  also  represents  her  as  sustaining 
the  same  character,  when  she  comes  out  of  the  wilderness  ; 
for  he  says  :  "  Rise  up,  my  love,  my  fair 
on g  0/0  omon,    ^^_^^^  ^^^^  come  away  :  for,  lo,  the  winter  is 

passed,  and  the  rain  is  over  and  gone ;  the 
flowers  appear  on  the  earth ;  the  time  of  the  singing  of 
birds  is  come,  and  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our 
land ;  the  fig  tree  putteth  forth  her  green  figs,  and  the 
vines  with  the  tender  grape  give  a  good  smell.  Arise,  my 
love,  my  fair  one,  and  come  away.^^  Thus  we  have  the 
tender  expression  of  the  bridegroom  calling  to  his  beloved, 
the  ciiurch,  after  the  fearful  winter  of  darkness  and  perse- 
cution had  poured  forth  frightful  storms  upon  her  for 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years,  to  rise  up  and  come  away 
out  of  the  wilderness,  where  her  power  may  again  be  felt 
throughout  the  world. 

Again  :  We  have  the  inspired  description  of  the  bride 
as  she  comes  out  of  the  wilderness.     The  question  is  pro- 
pounded :  "  Who  is  this  that  cometh  up 
Sana  of  Solomon,     r  l^  ^^  ^  ^         •  ^        ^ 

8-  5  d  6-  10  ^^^^^  *^^^  wilderness,  leaning  upon  her  be- 
loved ? ''  "  Who  is  she  that  looketh  forth 
as  the  morning,  fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  ter- 
rible as  an  army  with  banners  ?^^  The  answer  would 
come,  she  is  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  Avife,  to  whom  had  been 
given  the  wings  of  the  great  eagle,  with  which  to  fly  into 
the  wilderness  to  the  place  prepared  of  God,  and  where 
she  had  ever  leaned  upon  the  strong  arm  of  her  divine 
lover,  who  leads  her  forth  from  the  v/ilderness  as  fair  as 
the  moon,  as  clear  as  the  sun,  and  as  terrible  as  an  army 


The  Church  in  the  Wilder iiess.  345 

with  banners.  Do  tliese  Scriptures  teach  the  apostasy, 
pollution,  and  disgrace,  of  the  bride  of  Christ  ?  No  ;  for 
the  bridegroom  has  pledged  himself  to  be  with  her  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world  ;  and,  if  it  were  necessary, 
he  would  call  twelve  legions  of  angels  to  her  rescue  at  any 
moment. 

Because  the  world,  in  its  blindness  and  superstition,  has 
failed  to  see  and  recognize  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,  dur- 
ing her  stay  in  the  wilderness,  shall  It  be  said  that  she  ceased 
to  exist  during  that  time?  As  well  might  it  be  said  of  the 
train  which  enters  the  mountain  tunnel  and  comes  out  in 
full  trim,  that  it  ceased  to  exist  because  It  was  out  of  sight 
for  awhile,  or  that  it  must  have  been  ofP  the  track  all  the 
time  that  It  was  not  in  view !  But  when  the  train  emerges 
from  the  tunnel,  on  time,  with  the  same  officers,  with  the 
same  passengers,  with  the  same  freight,  and  with  the  same 
characteristic  brands,  we  have  undisputed  evidence  that  It 
Is  the  same  train  which  entered  the  tunnel,  and  that  It  had 
been  on  the  track  all  the  time,  or  it  would  not  have  ap- 
peared on  time  with  the  same  equipments ;  and  especially, 
if  it  had  been  controlled  by  an  infallible  conductor,  who  af- 
firmed that  the  train  had  been  preserved  through  the  moun- 
tain. And  likewise,  as  the  church  came  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness on  time,  according  to  the  divine  schedule,  with  the 
same  officers,  with  the  same  passengers,  with  the  same 
freight,  and  with  the  same  characteristic  marks,  and  having 
been  controlled  by  the  same  infallible  conductor,  we  may, 
therefore,  safely  conclude  that  the  church  has  neither  been 
destroyed  nor  off"  the  track  of  truth  during  the  wilderness 
period  of  her  history.  But  the  church  has  not  been  totally 
out  of  view  during  this  period ;  her  light  has  shined  out 
of  the  clefts  of  the  rock,  and  her  countenance  has  beamed 


346  The  Waldensean  (Period. 

forth  from  the  secret  places  of  the  stairs  all  the  time.  And 
with  equal  propriety  it  might  be  affirmed  that  the  Atlan- 
tic telegraph  cable  was  broken  into  a  thousand  fragments, 
or  that  hundreds  of  miles  of  it  are  entirely  wanting,  be- 
cause it  is  invisible  to  the  eye,  as  to  affirm  that  the  church 
was  destroyed  because  it  was  hid  from  some!  But  when  it 
is  known  that  both  ends  of  the  cable  are  visible,  and  that 
the  same  electric  fluid  passes  from  one  extremity  to  the  other, 
no  one  doubts  the  succession  of  the  Atlantic  cable.  And 
when  we  consider  that  the  church  entered  the  wilder- 
ness bearing  the  impress  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  emerged 
from  it  bearing  the  same  impress,  we  have  the  evidence  of 
her  perpetuity.  But  we  are  not  left  in  total  darkness  with 
regard  to  the  wilderness  period  of  the  church.  As  already 
seen,  we  have  the  light  of  the  prophetic  Word,  as  the  pillar 
of  fire  by  night,  which  has  pointed  out  the  history  of  the 
everlasting  kingdom  through  the  wilderness  period.  It  is 
true,  that  like  the  ancient  pillar  of  fire,  it  is  light  to  spir- 
itual Israel,  but  darkness  to  the  spiritual  Egyptians,  the 
enemies  of  the  church.  If  all  uninspired  history  was  a 
total  blank,  or  swallowed  up  in  the  gulf  of  oblivion,  we 
have  a  perfect  right  to  span  the  chasm  with  the  prophetic 
AYord,  and  boldly  affirm  that  the  gates  of  hell  have  not 
prevailed  against  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  besides 
the  inspired  Word,  we  have  the  testimony  of  friends,  and 
even  foes,  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  kingdom  of  God  through 
all  this  dark  period  of  the  world.  The  history  of  the 
church  may  be  traced  by  the  dismal  light  of  her  martyr 
fires,  and  the  blood  of  her  witnesses,  which  has  been  poured 
forth  like  rivers  in  the  desert.  The  blood-thirsty  foes  of 
the  church  have  borne,  with  fiendish  hate,  their  testimony 
to  the  true  church  in  their  accusations  and  charges  against 


(Pecviliarities  applied  to  the  Wcildenses.     347 

her  members.  Truly,  God  has  caused  the  wrath  of  man  to 
praise  him.  Even  old  Home  herself  has  been  constrained 
to  bear,  through  her  executioners,  grim  and  bloody  testi- 
mony to  the  truth  of  the  claims  of  the  suffering  saints  who 
died  as  members  of  the  true  kingdom  of  God. 


Section  II. — The   peculiaeities  applied   to   the 

WAEDENSES. 

"And  the  woman  fled  into  the .  wilderness,  where  she 
hath  a  place  prepared   of  God,  that  they 
should  feed  her  there  a  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  three  score  days.'^ 

Before  we  proceed  to  apply  the  Baptist  peculiarities  to 
the  Waldenses,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  again  that  the 
same  class  of  people  who  were  called  Waldenses  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Alps,  were  called  by  other  names  in  other 
countries.  But,  says  Mr.  Jones:  "All  these  branches, 
however,  sprang  from  one  common  stock,  and  were  ani- 
mated by  the  same  religious  and  moral  principles.^'  We 
have  not  space  in  the  present  work  to  vindicate  every 
branch  of  the  Waldensean  family  from  the  slanderous 
charges  which  their  enemies  have  preferred  against  them; 
but  we  desire  to  apply  the  Bible  peculiarities  to  the  main 
body  of  the  Waldenses  who  inhabited  the  valleys  of  the 
Alps,  or  were  in  fellowship  with  them.  But  before  we 
proceed  to  this,  it  may  be  interesting  to  furnish  the  reader 
with  a  description  of  the  valleys  of  Piedmont. 

Mr.  Jones  gives  the  following  description  :  "  The  prin- 
cipality  of   Piedmont    derives   its    name 

from  the  circumstance  of  its  beino;  situ-      ^'.^fo      ^'      ^^*' 

^  p.  188. 

ated  at  the  foot  of  the  Alps,  a  prodigious 


348  The  Waldcnsean  (Period. 

range  of  mountains^  the  highest  indeed  in  Europe,  and 
which  divide  Italy  from  France,  SwitzerLand,  and  Ger- 
many. It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  duchies  of  Milan 
and  Montferrat;  on  the  south  by  the  county  of  Nice  and 
the  territory  of  Genoa ;  on  the  west  by  France,  and  on  the 
north  by  Savoy.  In  former  times  it  constituted  a  part  of 
liOmbardy,  but  more  recently  has  been  subject  to  the  King 
of  Sardinia,  who  takes  up  his  residence  at  Turin,  the  cap- 
ital of  this  province,  and  one  of  the  finest  cities  in  Europe. 
It  is  an  extensive  tract  of  rich  and  fruitful  valleys,  embo- 
somed in  mountains  which  are  encircled  again  with  moun- 
tains higher  than  they,  intersected  with  deep  and  rapid 
rivers,  and  exhibiting  in  strong  contrast  the  beauty  and 
plenty  of  Paradise  in  sight  of  frightful  precipices,  wide 
lakes  of  ice,  and  stupendous  mountains  of  never-wasting 
snow.  The  whole  country  is  an  interchange  of  hill  and 
dale,  mountain  and  valley — traversed  with  four  principal 
rivers — viz  :  the  Po,  the  Tanaro,  the  Stura,  and  the  Dora, 
besides  about  eight  and  twenty  rivulets,  great  and  small, 
which,  winding  their  course  in  different  directions,  con- 
tribute to  the  fertility  of  the  valleys,  and  make  them  re- 
semble a  watered  garden.  The  principal  valleys  are  Aosta 
and  Susa  on  the  north,  Stura  on  the  south,  and,  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  country,  Lucerna,  Angrogna,  Paccapiatti, 
Pramol,  Perosa,  and  S.  Martino.  The  valley  Clusone,  or 
Pragela,  as  it  is  often  called,  was  in  ancient  times  a  part 
of  the  province  Dauphiny  in  France,  and  has  been,  from 
the  days  of  Hannibal,  the  ordinary  route  of  the  French 
and  other  armies  when  marching  into  Italy.  Angrogna, 
Pramol,  and  S.  Martino,  are  strongly  fortified  by  nature, 
on  account  of  their  many  difficult  passes,  and  bulwarks  of 
rocks  and  mountains ;  as  if  the  All-wise  Creator,  says  Sir 


The  Valleys  of  (Piedmont.  349 

Samuel  Morland,  had,  from  the  beginning,  designed  that 
place  as  a  cabinet  wherein  to  put  some  inestimable  jewel, 
or  in  which  to  reserve  many  thousand  souls  which  should 
not  bow  the  knee  before  Baal.''  It  was  into  these  wilder- 
ness valleys,  surrounded  by  the  bulwarks  of  the  Almighty, 
that  the  main  body  of  the  Church  of  Christ  found  a  place 
of  security  from  the  wrath  of  the  papal  dragon. 

The  Waldenses  regarded   themselves  as  having  been 
directed  by  prophecy  in  their  flight  to  these  valleys.     Of 

this,  Mr.  Robinson  remarks :  ^'  Let  it  not 

,•     -n  ,1     ,    ^,^    -\    Roh.^s  EccL  Res.. 

seem  romantic  it  we  suppose  that  [thej        ^^^  ' 

"Waldenses,  who,  we  know,  studied  the 
Revelation  of  John,  thought  themselves  directed  to  re- 
tire, by  God  himself,  to  sequestered  places ;  for,  by  the 
New  Testament  prophet,  he  said,  ^  The  woman  fled  into  the 
wilderness,  where  she  hath  a  place  prepared  of  God,  that 
they  should  feed  her  there  a  thousand  two  hundred  and 
three  score  days.' "  Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  Waldenses 
claimed  no  human  origin;  but  that  they. were  the  true 
church,  symbolized  by  the  woman  which  fled  into  the  wil- 
derness. We  come  now  to  the  application  of  the  pecu- 
liarities. 

First:  TJie  Waldenses  possessed  the  Bajotist  'peculiarity' 
of  regarding  Jesus  Christ  as  their  founder  and  head. 

This  is  shown  from  the  very  reproach  cast  upon  them 
by  their  enemies;  for  they  were  called  Acepjhali,  the  head- 
less, because  they  acknowledged  no  human  head  or  founder. 
Commenius,  a  Bohemian  writer,  gave  the 
following  account  of  the  claims  of  the  ^2%tw^hes^J'^ 
Waldenses  in  1644 :  "And  forasmuch  as  piedmont  p  205 
the  said  Waldenses  declared  that  they  had 
lawful  bishops  among  them,  and  a  lawful  and  uninterrupted 


350  The   Waldenscan  Period. 

succession  from  the  apostles  themselves;  they  very  solemnly 
created  three  of  our  ministers  bishops,  conferring  upon  them 
the  power  of  ordaining  ministers,  though  they  did  not  think 
fit  to  take  upon  them  the  name  of  bishops,  because  of  the 
antichristian  abuse  of  that  name  —  contenting  themselves 
Avith  the  name  of  elders/'  This  very  important  passage 
shows  that  the  Waldenses  claimed  an  uninterrupted  succes- 
sion from  the  apostles.  Were  they  liable  to  the  charge  of 
'^Popish  succession f^'  By  no  means;  for  their  bitter  en- 
emy says  that:  "They  affirm  that  they 
Quoted  in  Allix^s  ^j^^^^  ^^,^  ^|^^  Church  of  Christ,  and  his 
Churches  of  Fied-    ,.     .    ,  —.,  ,     ,  ,  /  , 

moiit  p.  209.  disciples,     ihey  declare  themselves  to  be 

the  apostles'  successors ;  to  have  apostolic 
authority,  and  the  keys  of  binding  and  loosing.  They  hold 
the  Church  of  Rome  to  be  the  whore  of  Babylon,  and  that 
all  that  obey  her  are  damned,  especially  the  clergy  that 
are  subject  to  her  since  the  time  of  Pope  Sylvester."  It 
has  ever  been  the  case,  that  those  who  have  claimed  the 
true  succession,  have  borne  the  most  faithful  testimony 
against  the  false  succession  of  Rome.  In  a  Waldenscan 
Confession  of  Faith  published  in  1G55,  article  twenty- 
fourth  reads  as  follows:  "That  God  has 
WaldilJ^^^^^^^  gathered  together  a  church  in  this  world 
for  the  salvation  of  mankind;  but  she 
has  but  one  head  and  foundation,  which  is  Jesus  Christ." 
And  we  have  article  twenty-sixth,  as  follows:  "That  this 
church  can  not  fail,  or  be  quite  destroyed ;  but  that  it 
will  always  remain."  It  has  been  already  observed,  that 
the  same  class  of  people  called  Waldenses  in  the  valleys, 
were  called  Paterines,  especially  in  Italy.  This  name 
dates  back  to  the  Novatians.  Dr.  Allix  says  of  them, 
that :  "  It  appears  that  the  Berengarians,  wlio  were  of  the 


Waldenses  held  the  (Bible  as  their  (Rule.     351 

same  stamp  with  Patcrines,  did  discourse  much  at  the 

same  rate  as  the  Waklensos  did  afterward. 

This  is  evident  from  Lanfranc,  where  he   „/f  *    ^'^^ ^1^ 

'  Fiedmont,  p.  134. 

tells  us  that  they  accused  the  church  to 
liave  erred  by  reason  of  ignorance,  and  that  the  church 
remained  in  their  party  alone ;  and  they,  with  the  Beren- 
garians,  called  the  Church  of  Rome  the  congregation  of 
the  wicked  and  the  seat  of  Satan.''^  Thus  these  early  Wal 
denses  maintained  that  themselves  alone  were  the  true. 
Church  of  Christ;  that  they  had  the  true  succession; 
and  that  Home  is  Antichrist.  The  bitterest  foes  of  tho 
Waldenses  have  never  charged  them  with  holding  any 
other  founder  and  head  than  Jesus  Christ.  We  may  con- 
sider it  a  settled  point  that  the  Waldenses  possessed  tht 
Baptist  peculiarity  which  recognizes  Jesus  Christ  alone 
as  the  founder  and  head  of  his  Church. 

Second :  The  Baptists  regard  the  Bible  alone  as  their 
rule  of  faith  and  practice ;  and,  upon  examination,  it  will 
be  found  that  the  Waldenses  also  possessed  the  same  pecu- 
liarity. No  historic  fact  is  more  clearly  developed  than 
that  the  Waldenses  adhered  with  unyielding  tenacity  to 
the  Scriptures  as  their  only  guide  in  matters  of  religion. 
iEneassylvius,  who  came  to  be  Pope  Pius  II.,  gives  the 
following  in  his  account  of  the  Waldenses  :  "  Whatsoever 
is  preached  without  Scripture  proof,  they 

account  no  better  than  fables.     That  the    ^^^^^^^  '"^  ^^-  ^^' 
-TT   1     CI     •    ,  •       (' .A  /¥>  .       ti-^'s   Churches  of 

Holy  Scriptures  is  of  the  same  efficacy  m    pi,,i,^^,,t,  p.  236. 

the  vulgar  tongue  as  in  Latin,  and  accord- 
ingly they  communicate  and  administer  the  sacraments  in 
the  vulgar  tongue.     They  can  say  a  great  part  of  the  Old 
and   New  Testament  by  heart.''      This  acknowledgment 
of  Pope  Pius  concerning  this  peculiar  feature  of  the  Wal- 


252  The   WaldcTiscaii  (Period. 

denscs,  is  but  the  voice  of  history  on  this  point :  the  Wal- 
denses  claim  no  other  standard  of  faith  and  practice  ex- 
cept the  Bible.  To  the  same  effect  Mr.  Robinson  testifies 
of  the  Waldenses,  as  follows  :  ^^  From  the  Church  of  Rome 

they  distinguish  themselves  by  reducing, 
Hob.^s  Eccl.  Ecs.,         ,1  1,1  •      ,  T^  1 

,p.  '    as  they  supposed,  the  ancient  Roman  doc- 

trine to  practice,  by  rejecting  the  Pope 
the  prelates,  and  all  the  religious  orders,  by  renouncing 
councils,  fathers,  and  all  traditions,  and  adhering  to  Scrip 
ture  alone  as  a  rule  of  faith,  and  by  refusing  all  the  papa^ 
ceremonies  of  baptism,  the  Lord^s  Supper,  penance,  orders, 
and  so  on.  They  are  also  distinguished  from  the  latter 
Vaudois,  and  the  reformed  churches,  by  not  using  any  lit- 
urgy; by  not  compelling  faith;  by  condemning  parochial 
churches;  by  not  taking  oaths;  by  allowing  every  person, 
even  women,  to  teach  ;  by  not  practicing  infant  baptism ; 
by  not  admitting  god-fathers ;  by  rejecting  all  sacerdotal 
habits;  by  denying  all  ecclesiastical  orders  of  priesthood, 
papal  and  episcopal ;  by  not  bearing  arms ;  and  by  their 
abhorrence  of  every  species  of  persecution.^^  Once  more : 
We  introduce  the  testimony  of  a  minister  who  had  been 
pastor  of  one  of  the  "VValdensean  churches  for  forty  years ; 
his  name  is  Vignaux.  He  says  of  the  Waldenses :  "  That 
the  Holy  Scriptures  contain  all  that  is 
{^10  e  m  onts  YiQC^s^'dVY  to  our  salvation,  and  that  we 
Ch.  His.,  p.  264.  1,  ''i       1    ,.  11         1  1 

are  called  to  believe  only  what  they  teach, 

without  any  regard  to  the  authority  of  man  ;  that  nothing 
;f  else  ought  to  be  received  by  us  except  what  God  hath 
^  commanded. ^^  And  it  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  the  an- 
cient Waldenses  were  mighty  in  the  Scriptures ;  they  sur- 
passed all  others  in  Bible  knoAvledge.  Mr.  Jones  quotes 
Thuanus,  an  eminent  Catholic  historian,  as  making  the 


Waldenses  held  ike  (Bible  as  their  (kide.     353 

following  admission  concerning  the  Waldenses :  "  They 
can  all  read  and  write.  They  know  French 
sufficiently  for  the  understanding  of  the  ^.-i  '  •  '  *' 
Bible  and  the  singing  of  psalms.  You  can 
scarcely  find  a  boy  among  them  who  can  not  give  you  an 
intelligent  account  of  the  faith  which  they  profess.'^  Con- 
trasting the  Waldenses  with  Luther,  Calvin,  and  others, 
JNIr.  Jones  remarks  that :  "  The  reformers, 

with  all  their  zeal  and  learnino^,  w^ere  babes         o^^      *         ' 

p.  326. 

in  spiritual  knowledge  when  compared 
with  the  more  illiterate  Waldenses,  particularly  in  regard 
to  the  nature  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  its  institutions, 
laws,  and  worship  in  general.'^  Many  other  testimonies 
could  be  introduced,  showing  that  the  Waldenses  not  only 
professed  to  regard  the  Bible  as  their  standard,  but  they 
were  eminently  a  Bible  people  in  point  of  knowledge.  We 
regard  the  point  fully  established  in  history,  that  the  Wal- 
denses possessed  the  Baptist  peculiarity  of  holding  the 
Bible  alone  as  their  rule  of  action  in  matters  of  religion, 
and  therefore,  in  this  respect,  they  were  Baptists. 

Third :  It  is  evident,  also,  that  the  Waldenses  preserved 
the  Bible  order  of  the  commandments  which  now  charac- 
terize the  Baptists ;  they  taught  repentance,  faith,  haptisnij 
and  the  Lord^s  Supper.  That  they  held  the  Bible  order 
of  repentance  and  faith,  has  never  been  called  in  question. 
In  fact,  they  were  compelled  to  observe  this  order  as  the 
result  of  following  the  Scriptures  as  their  only  guide. 
Their  views  of  human  depravity,  which  they  regarded  as 
hereditary  and  total,  and  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  conversion, forced  them  uj^on  the  Bible  order  of  holding 
repentance  before  the  faith  with  the  heart.  In  their  Con- 
fession, of  1365,  Article  XVIII  stands  thus :  "  That  this 


3^1  The  V/aldensean  Period. 

^ith  comes  from  the  gracious  and  efficacious  operations 

of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  illuminates  our 

emus      IS.  o;     g^^jg  ^^^j  enables  them  to  rely  upon  the 

Vaudois,  p.  zdo.  ^      ^,  .  . 

mercy  of  God,  to  be  applied  by  the  merits 

of  Jesus  Christ/^  Every  one  must  know  that  this  faith, 
which  is  produced  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon 
the  heart,  must  follow,  in  point  of  order,  repentance  ;  but, 
as  the  order  of  repentance  and  faith  has  never  been  a 
matter  of  dispute  in  the  history  of  the  Waldenses,  we  pass 
to  the  next  point,  which  is  their  teaching  that  faith  pre- 
cedes baptism. 

This  point  is  fully  settled  in  chapter  sixth  of  this  book, 
where  the  cliarge  that  the  Waldenses  baptized  infants,  is 
fully  met.  I  will,  however,  introduce  some  proofs  in  re- 
gard to  the  teaching  of  the  Paterines,  who  were  the  same 
with  the  ancient  AYaldenses.     Dr.  Allix  says  :  "  We  find 

the  Berengarians  exposed  to  the  same  ca- 

Allix' s  Churches  of  -i  •  i  •  i  i?i.  i  •  j.    i  j. 

„.  ,  ,  ^.,y  lumnies  which  were  alterward  imputed  to 
Piedmont,  p.  13o.  .  ^    .    .         . 

the  Paterines  and  Waldenses.  This  is  evi- 
dent from  the  discourse  of  Guimondus,  Bishop  of  A  versa, 
lib.  I,  contra  Bereng.;  where  he  accuseth  them  of  over- 
throwing, as  much  as  in  them  lay,  lawful  marriages,  and 
the  baptism  of  infants.'^  It  is  true  that  Dr.  Allix,  the 
Pedobaptist  historian,  calls  this  charge  against  the  Pate- 
rines a  calumny.  But  it  is  certain  that  the  Catholic  wri- 
ters who  lived  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  countries 
with  the  Paterines,  knew  more  about  their  practice  than 
Dr.  Allix,  who  lived  in  the  present  century.  And  as  to 
the  other  charge — that  these  Paterines  rejected  laAvful  mar- 
riage— they  did  reject  what  Catholics  call  lawful  marriage, 
viz :  marriage  by  Catholic  priests.  Historians  are  agreed 
that  the  Catholics  did  charjj^e  the  ancient  Waldenses  and 


Waldenses  held  the  (Bible  Order.  355 

Paterines — who  were,  really^  the  same  class  of  people  re- 
ligiously — with  the  rejection  of  infant  baptism. 

On  this  point  Mr.  Robinson  says :    "  As  the  Catholics 

of  those  times  baptized  by  immersion,  the 

T)   ,     •  1         1     ,  ,1  RohJs  Eccl.  Res., 

l-*aterine3,  by  what  name  soever  they  were         ..^  ' 

called — as  Manicheans,  Gazari,  Josephists, 
Arnoldists,  Passagines,  Bulgarians,  or  Bongres — made  no 
complaint  of  the  mode  of  baptizing ;  but,  when  they  were 
examined,  they  objected  vehemently  against  the  baptism 
of  infants,  and  condemned  it  as  an  error.  They  said, 
among  other  things,  that  a  child  knew  nothing  of  the  mat- 
ter—  that  he  had  no  desire  to  be  Baptized,  and  was  inca- 
pable of  making  any  confession  of  faith,  and  that  the 
willing  and  professing  of  another  could  be  of  no  service 
to  him."  This  quotation  shows  that  the  ancient  Wal- 
denses,  also  called  Paterines,  positively  opposed  infant  bap- 
tism ;  they  held  the  Baptists'  order  of  faith  before  baptism. 
It  is  a  historic  fact,  that  the  ancient  Waldenses,  from  the 
time  of  the  flight  of  the  woman  into  the  wilderness,  to  the 
close  of  the  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years,  bore  testimony 
to  the  Bible  order  of  faith  prior  to  baptism.  And  as  no 
one  has  ever  dared  to  charge  them  with  the  gross  absurd- 
ity of  placing  the  Lord's  Supper  before  baptism,  we  may 
justly  conclude  that  the  Waldenses  preserved  the  Bible 
order  of  the  commandments — Repentance,  Faith,  Baptism, 
and  the  Lord's  Supper.  Thus  we  find  that  the  Waldenses 
possessed  the  third  Baptist  peculiarity,  and,  therefore^  they 
were  Baptists  in  this  respect. 

Fourth :  Baptists  immerse,  or  bury  ivith  Clirist  in  hap- 
tism,  only  those  who  profess  to  be  dead  to,  or  freed  from,  sin. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  examination  of  the  Waldenses  aa 
regards  the  fourth  Bible  peculiarity.     After  the  rise  of 


356  Tr.e   Wa^deiizean  (Period. 

the  Arian  controversy,  the  Catholics  originated  the  prac- 
tice of  trine  immersion.  In  baptism,  they  dipped  the 
candidate  once  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  once  in  tiie  name 
of  the  Son,  and  once  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

But  the  AValdenses  adhered  to  the  apostolic  practice  of 
"one  baptism.*^  They  buried  in  baptism  only  once  those 
who  professed  to  be  dead  to  sin.  They  were  charged,  it 
is  true,  with  Anabaptism,  or  re-baptism,  which  they  de- 
nied, on  the  ground  that  even  the  immersions  performed 
by  false  churches  were  invalid,  and  not  baptism  at  all. 
The  suffering  Waldenses,  in  their  supplication  to  Emanuel, 
Duke  of  Savoy,  used  the  following  language:  "The  Turks, 

Jews,  Saracens,  and  other  nations,  though 
His.  Wald.,  Amer.  ,       i  <y>       i    ,  • 

^  S  U       7"         iiever  so  barbarous,  are  sutrered  to  enjoy 

their  own  religion,  and  are  constrained  by 
no  man  to  change  their  manner  of  living  and  worship; 
and  we,  who  serve  and  worship  in  faith  the  true  and  Al- 
mighty God,  and  one  true  and  only  Sovereign,  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  confessing  one  God  and  une  baptism, — shall  not 
we  be  suffered  to  enjoy  the  same  privileges  ?'^ 

The  point  has  already  been  fully  established,  that  the 
Waldenscs  Ijaptized  none  except  professed  believers.  And 
they  considered  a  true  believer  as  a  child  of  God;  there- 
fore they  did  not  baptize  sinners,  the  children  of  the  Devil, 
in  order  to  make  them  children  of  God;  they  baptized 
those  who  professed  to  be  dead  to,  or  freed  from,  sin.  tn 
a  Confession  of  Faith  published  by  the  Waldenses  in  the 
year  1120,  we  have  the  following:    "Aet.  XII. — We  do 

believe  that  the  sacraments  are  signs  of  the 

,V  4  ofJ  '    \\o\y  thinsT,  or  visible  forms  of  the  invisi- 

Muston,  p.  300.  "  ^^ 

ble  grace,  accounting  it  good  that  the  faith- 
ful sometimes  use  the  said  signs  or  visible  forms,  if  it  may 


Wald^nses  opposed  (Baptismal  Salvation.    357 

be  done.  However,  we  believe  and  hold  that  the  above- 
said  faithful  may  be  saved  without  receiving  the  signs 
aforesaid,  in  case  they  have  no  place  nor  any  means  to  use 
them.  AiiT.  XIII. — AVe  acknowledo-e  no  other  sacrament 
but  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.'^  This  unmistakably 
settles  the  point,  that  the  Waldenses  did  not  regard  bap- 
tism as  necessary  to  the  pardon  of  sins;  they  regarded 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  as  signs  of  invisible  things. 
In  another  Confession  of  Faith,  published  in  1669, 
the  AYaldenses  have  the  following:  ^'29.  That  God  has 

ordained  the  sacrament  of  baptism  to  be 

,     ,.  jy  1      X-  1      r  Israel  of  the  Alps, 

a  testimony  oi  our  adoption,  and  ot  our        ^a- 

being  cleansed  from  our  sins  by  the  blood 

of  Jesus  Christ,  and  renewed  in  holiness  of  life.^* 

Thus  we  discover  that  the  AYaldenses  regarded  baptism 
as  a  testimony  of  the  cleansing  from  sins  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ.  With  them,  baptism  was  not  in  order  to 
the  cleansing  from  sin,  but  a  testimony  of  it.  In  fact,  the 
Waldenses  regarded  baptismal  salvation,  in  connection 
with  infant  baptism,  as  one  of  the  leading  features  of 
Antichrist.  In  a  treatise  concerning  Antichrist,  written 
by  the  Waldenses  in  the  twelfth  century,  it  is  supposed, 
we  have  the  followins;  remarkable  lanQ-uao;e  concernino; 
the  doctrine  of  Antichrist :  "  He  teaches 
to  baptize  children  into  the  faith,  and  at-  "^""l^.  ^^'-  ^'•' 
tributes  to  this  the  work  of  regeneration, 
thus  confounding  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  regen- 
eration with  the  external  rite  of  baptism,  and  on  this 
foundation  bestows  orders,  and,  indeed,  grounds  all  Chris- 
tianity.^' 

By  this  we  learn  that  the  Waldenses  regarded  infant 
baptism  and  baptismal  salvation  as  a  leading  feature  of 


358  The  Waldensean  (Period. 

Antichrist;  it  is,  therefore,  certain  that  they  only  baptized 
such  as  professed  to  be  real  saints,  or  children  of  God. 
We  have  the  testimony  of  Evervinus,  a  Catholic  writer 
of  the  twelfth  century,  that  the  ancient  Waldenses  rejected 
infant  baptism.  He  wrote  a  letter  to  St.  Bernard  concern- 
ing the  Waldenses  about  Cologne,  in  which  he  represents 
them  as  follows :  ^'  Thus  they  make  void  the  priesthood  of 

the  church,  and.  condemn  the  sacraments 

Allix's  Churches     i      • -i        i       ,•  i  i    j.i  •  i 

,  „.  ,        ^__      besides   baptism  only;    and   this   onlv  m 
of  Pied.,  p.  157.  ^  '  ^ 

those  who  are  come  to  age,  who,  they  say, 
are  baptized  by  Christ  himself,  whosoever  be  the  minister 
of  the  sacraments.  They  do  not  believe  infant  baptism; 
alleging  that  place  of  the  Gospel,  whosoever  shall  believe^ 
and  he  baptized,  shall  be  saved.'^  But  enough  on  this 
point;  it  is  a  point  fully  proved  that  the  ancient  Waldenses 
baptized,  only  those  who  professed  to  be  true  believers,  or 
those  who  professed  to  be  dead  to  sin.  But  did  they  im- 
merse, or  bury  in  baptism,  their  converts  ?  It  is  conceded 
by  historians  that  immersion  was  the  prevailing  practice 
of  all  denominations  which  professed  Christianity  down  to 
the  thirteenth  century.  The  exceptions  to  this  practice 
were,  that  in  cases  of  sickness  the  Catholics  performed 
wdiat  has  been  called  ^'clinic  baptism ^^ — by  affusion;  but 
they  did  not  plead  Scripture  authority  for  this  departure 
from  apostolic  practice  ;  they  only  pleaded  necessity.  But 
as  the  Waldenses  adhered  to  the  Scriptures,  rejecting  all 
the  traditions  of  men,  they  did  not  adopt  this  innovatior.. 
And,  according  to  their  doctrine,  there  was  no  necessity 
foi  clinic  baptism  ;  for  they  rejected  baptismal  salvation, 
which  gave  rise  to  the  custom  of  the  baptism  of  the  sick 
to  save  them  from  the  torments  of  hell.  It  is  admitted  by 
candid  historians  and  learned  Pedobaptists  that  sprinkling 


Waldenses  for  Immersion.  359 

or  pouring  is  a  Romish  tradition,  and  as  the  Waldenses 
regarded  these  traditions  with  abhorrence,  they,  therefore, 
rejected  the  traditions  of  sprinkling  and  pouring  instead 
of  baptism.  Even  those  societies  which  adopted  the  prac- 
tice of  infant  baptism  continued  the  ancient  practice  of 
immersion;  for  they  immersed  their  infants,  mostly  with 
three  dips.  Dr.  \Yall,  the  celebrated  Pedobaptist  histo- 
rian, speaking  of  the  introduction  of  pouring  and  sprink- 
ling, remarks:  "And  though  the  English 

received  not  this  custom  till  after  the  decay      f '  ^    %.^o^"^  '' 

p  ^  ,    , ,        ,  .  .     \    vol  I,  p.  728. 

01   ropery,  yet  they  have  since  received 

it  from  such  neighboring  nations  as  had  begun  it  in  the 
times  of  the  Pope's  poAver.  But  all  other  Christians  in  the 
world,  who  never  owned  the  Pope's  usurped  power,  do, 
and  ever  did,  dip  their  infants  in  the  ordinary  use." 
Again,  in  speaking  of  the  administration  of  baptism  among 
the  ancients.  Dr.  \Yall  says :  "  Their  general  and  ordinary 
way  was  to  baptize  by  immersion,  or  dip- 
ping the  person,  whether  it  were  an  infant  f"/  "•l\^'^^  '' 
r    o         i-  >  ^  .i^oL  I,  p.  /06. 

or  grown  man  or  woman,  into  the  water. 
This  is  so  plain  and  clear,  by  an  infinite  number  of  pas- 
sages, that,  as  one  can  not  but  pity  the  weak  endeavors  of 
such  Pedobaptists  as  would  maintain  the  negative  of  it,  so 
also  we  ought  to  disown  and  show  a  dislike  of  the  profane 
scoffs  which  some  people  give  to  the  English  Anti-pedo- 
baptists  merely  for  their  use  of  dipping.  It  is  one  thing  to 
maintain  that  that  circumstance  is  not  absolutely  necessary 
to  the  essence  of  baptism,  and  another  to  go  about  to  repre- 
sent it  as  ridiculous  and  foolish,  or  as  shameful  and  inde- 
cent, pkvhen  it  was,  in  all  probability,  the  way  by  which  our 
blessed  Savior,  and  for  certain,  was  the  most  usual  and 
ordinary  way  by  which  the  ancient  Christians  did  receiv 


360  The  Wald^nsean  (Period. 

their  baptism.  I  shall  not  stay  to  produce  the  particular 
proofs  of  this.  Many  of  the  quotations  which  I  brought 
for  other  purposes,  and  shall  bring,  do  evince  it.  It  is  a 
great  want  of  prudence,  as  well  as  of  honesty,  to  refuse  to 
grant  to  an  adversary  what  is  certainly  true,  and  may  bo 
proved  so.  It  creates  a  jealousy  of  all  the  rest  that  one 
says."  From  these  passages  from  this  eminent  historian, 
it  is  evident  that  the  prevailing  custom  among  ancient 
Christians  was  an  immersion  or  burial  in  baptism;  and 
the  only  exception  to  this  was  found  among  Roman  Cath- 
olics in  favor  of  sick  people.  But  as  the  Waldenses  neither 
originated  with  the  Catholics  nor  received  their  traditions, 
therefore  they  did  not  receive  sprinkling  or  pouring,  but 
held  the  burial  in  baptism  of  those  who  were  believers. 
Keinerius  Saccho,  the  Catholic  persecutor  of  the  Wal- 
denses,  says  of  them,  that :  "  They  hold  that  none  of  the 

ordinances  of  the  church  Avhich  have  been 
^2?q      *     ^*'      introduced  since  Christ's  ascension,  ought 

to  be  observed,  as  being  of  no  value."  It 
is  well  known  that  sprinkling  and  pouring  for  baptism 
have  been  introduced  long  since  the  ascension  of  Christ; 
and  as  the  AYaldcnses  rejected  all  such  ordinances,  there- 
fore they  rejected  sprinkling  or  pouring  for  baptism.  The 
fact  that  the  Waldenses  baptized  all  whom  they  received 
into  fellowship,  even  when  they  had  been  previously  im- 
mersed by  others,  is  positive  proof  that  the  Waldenses 
practiced  immersion  or  burial  in  baptism.  Those  parties 
who  are  so  indifferent  about  the  commands  of  Jesus  Christ 
r.s  to  practice  sprinkling  and  pouring  for  baptism,  do  not 
insist  on  the  baptism  of  those  that  come  from  other  parties; 
they  are,  therefore,  not  called  Anabaptists.  It  may  be  laid 
down  as  an  historic  axiom,  that  whe7'e  Anahaptism  prevails^ 


Equality  among  the   V/aldenscs.  361 

immersion  is  the  action  of  baptism.     The  Waldenses  were 

'* Anabaptists/^  not  Munsterites ;  therefore,  they  practiced 

immersion,  or  burial,  for  baptism.     Tlie  following,  from 

Joseph  Belcher,  shows  that  the  Waldenses  were  known  as 

Anabaptists :  "  Bishop  Bossuet,  a  Catholic, 

1..  n  r-i  ^    '    }  if        !••         Bdiqious  Dcnom., 

complaining  oi  Calvin  s  party  tor  claiming  „  ,  ■; ^       ,04 

apostolical  succession  through  the  Wal- 
denses, observes:  ^  You  adopt  Henry  and  Peter  de  Bruys 
among  your  predecessors,  but  both  of  these  everybody 
knows  were  Anabaptists/  ^^  No  historian  has  ever  charged 
the  Waldenses  with  the  practice  of  sprinkling  and  pour- 
ing for  baptism.  We  may  consider  it  a  point  generally 
admitted  that  the  ancient  Waldenses  possessed  the  Baptist 
peculiarity  of  holding  the  burial  in  baptism  of  those  who 
are  dead  to  sin. 

Fifth:  Baptists  recognize  equal  rights  or  privileges  in 
the  execution  of  the  laivs  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Clirist, 
Baptists  have  ever  been  distinguished  by  thein  love  of  re- 
ligious liberty,  w^iile  Pedobaptists  have  generally  claimed 
the  right  to  propagate  religion  by  law.  We  will  find  this 
Baptist  peculiarity  prominently  developed  among  the  Wal- 
denses. The  inquisitor  Reinerius,  reports  the  Waldenses 
as  holding :  ^'  That  none  in  the  church 
ought  to  be  greater  than  their  brethren,^^  ^^^243  ^^'  ^^'''' 
according  to  Matt.  20:  25,  etc.  It  is  ^*  *"  " 
known  that  the  Waldenses  regarded  the  different  orders 
in  the  ministry,  established  by  the  Catholics,  as  part  of 
the  abominations  of  Antichrist.  They  even  allowed  their 
women  to  teach  in  their  congregations.  We  find,  in  an 
ancient  Waldensean  Confession,  the  follow- 
ing Article  on  liberty :  "  We  esteem  for  ^^oaa  ^  ^^' 
an  abomination  and  as  antichristian,  all 


362  The  Waldenscan  ^Period. 

tiiose  human  inventions  wliicli  are  a  trouble  or  prejudice 

lo  the  liberty  of  the  spirit."     Thus  we  iuid  the  ancient 

Waldenses,  like  the  modern  Baptists,  contending  for  spirit 

or  "  soul-liberty."     It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Albi- 

genses  were  a  branch  or  a  part  of  the  Waldenscan  family  ; 

they  held  the  same  doctrine  in  every  point   of  church 

organization.     In  regard  to  the  point  in   question,  Mr. 

Orchard   remarks :    ^'  The  errors   of  the 

IS.  oj   'ng.     ap-  ^iijij^^.j^gcs,  who,  in  their  church  capacity, 
tists,  p.  116.  ^       .  ,  11 

says  Collier,  had  none  but  lay  brethren  to 

officiate  among  them,  and  who  professed  ecpiality  in  the 
brotherhood,  began  now  to  grow  more  public."  As  to  the 
charge,  that  the  Albigenses  had  none  but  lay  brethren  for 
preachers,  this  must  be  understood  with  reference  to  Cath- 
olic views ;  for  they  regarded  all  as  laymen  who  had  not 
received  llomish  ordination.  The  Waldenses  had  pastors 
ordained  by  themselves.  It  is  so  generally  admitted  that 
the  ancient  Waldenses  recognized  the  equality  of  their 
membership,  as  regards  church  privileges,  that  it  is  un- 
necessary to  occupy  much  space  on  this  point.  In  the  an- 
cient Waldenscan  documents  preserved  by  Leger,  and 
quoted  by  Monastier  in  his  History  of  the  Vaudois  Church, 
we  have  the  following:    "  ^Among  other 

Ills,  of  the  Vaudois  ^  •    ^     r\      ^   ^  •  i   • 

CI    •  /  D  95  powers  which  (jrod  has  given  his  servants, 

he  has  given  them  power  to  choose  leaders 
(pastors)  who  may  govern  the  people,  and  to  appoint  elders 
to  their  offices,  according  to  the  diversity  of  their  employ- 
ments, in  the  unity  of  Christ,  as  the  apostle  proves  in  his 
epistle  to  Titus.'  *  *  *  ^s  to  the  discipline  of  paston;,  it 
is  said  :  ^  Whenever  any  one  of  our  pastors  has  fallen  into 
any  disgraceful  sin,  he  is  expelled  from  our  society,  and  the 
office  of  preaching  is  taken  from  him.'    As  to  their  support, 


Equality  among  the  Waldenses.  363 

it  is  said  :  ^  Our  food  and  clothing  are  supplied  and  given 
to  us  gratuitously,  and  in  the  way  of  alms,  as  much  as  is 
needed,  by  the  good  people  whom  we  teach.'  The  barbes, 
moreover,  all  applied  themselves  to  some  useful  art,  par- 
ticularly medicine  and  surgery.  No  hierarchical  distinc- 
tion was  established :  the  only  difference  that  existed  be- 
tween the  pastors  was  that  arising  from  age,  or  services 
performed,  and  personal  respect.'' 

In  this  quotation,  it  should  be  observed,  that  it  was  the 
servants  of  God,  members  of  his  church,  who  wereto  choose 
leaders  or  elders  to  the  pastorship,  and  exclude  them  from 
the  church  if  they  proved  unworthy ;  and  the  only  differ- 
ence that  existed  between  the  pastors  Avas  that  arising  from 
age,  services  'performed,  and  personal  respect.     The  same 

author  further  remarks :    "  We  conceive 
,1     ,     ,  1  .         ■    .  ,      .     .  i?    J.1      His.  (Tf  theVaudois 

that   this    entire   submissiveness    oi    the  ^,     %       ^^,. 

Church,  p.  102. 

younger  barbes  (pastors)  to  the  more  aged 
and  to  the  leaders,  has  led  Roman  Catholic  authors  into 
an  error,  and  made  them  believe  that  the  Yaudois  had  a 
clerical  hierarchy,  like  themselves,  of  bishops,  etc.  But 
nothing  in  their  history  or  writings  authorizes  us  to  be- 
lieve in  the  existence  of  any  other  distinction  among  the 
barbes  excepting  that  of  age,  experience,  and  personal 
qualities,  which  determined  their  choice  of  leaders  as  cir- 
ciunstances  might  require — as  is  still  practiced,  and,  no 
doubt,  was  always  practiced  in  this  church.'^  It  may  be 
regarded  as  an  established  historic  fact,  that  the  ancient 
Waldenses  possessed  the  Baptist  peculiarity  of  religious 
equality  in  church  membership.  Dupin,  the  Catholic  histo- 
rian, admits  that  Keinerius  Saccho,  the  in- 
quisitor, charged  the  Waldenses  with  hold-  ,  Y'l^-f-  us^^ ' 
ing,   "  that  all  the  members  of  the  church 


334  The  Waldensean  (Period. 

are  equal;"  and  "that  the  washing  (baptizing)  of  infants 
is  of  no  avail  to  them  ;  that  the  sureties  do  not  understand 
what  they  answer  to  the  priest,'^ 

This  religidus  equality  among  the  Waldenses  grows  out 
of  their  fundamental  principles  of  taking  the  Bible  alone 
as  their  guide,  and  claiming  no  founder  and  head  but 
Jesus  Christ.  Some  have  supposed  that  the  Waldenses 
carried  this  principle  of  equality  to  an  extreme  in  allowing 
the  women  to  teach  and  pray  in  the  congregations.  But 
it  should  be  remembered,  that  this  was  allowed  in  the 
church  at  Corinth  in  the  time  of  Paul,  on  condition  that 
it  be  done  with  the  head  covered  or  vailed.  And  it  was 
especially  necessary  among  the  Waldenses,  owing  to  the 
fact,  that  in  those  fearful  times  of  persecution  the  women 
could  gain  access  where  the  pastors  could  not  go.  His- 
tory shows  that  often  the  devout  \Yaldensean  women  w^ent 
out,  two  and  two,  on  foot,  as  missionaries,  to  teach  from 
house  to  house,  in  their  quiet  way,  the  Gospel  of  salvation. 
And  to  avoid  detection  by  the  Catholic  emissaries,  they 
usually  took  with  them  a  basket  of  small  wares  or  trinkets 
to  sell ;  but  when  the  opportunity  came,  they  would  read 
and  expound  the  Scriptures  to  the  deluded  Catholics  and 
other  sinners. 

Sixth :  Baptists  observe  the  Lord's  Supper  at  his  table  in 
his  kingdom.  It  wdll  also  be  found  that  the  ancient  Wal- 
denses  possessed  this  peculiarity  also.  For  the  discussion 
of  the  communion  question,  the  reader  is  referred  to  chap- 
ter thirteenth  of  this  work.  The  Waldenses  were  often 
called  PuritanSj  because  of  their  strenuous  advocacy  of 
purity  in  doctrine  and  communion.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  sixteenth  century  the  Catholic  clergy  instigated  Ula- 
dislaus,  King  of  Bohemia,  to  issue  an  edict  to  force  the 


Waldenses  Strict  in  Connnunion.         365 

^yaldenses,  in  his  kingdom,  to  commune  with  the  Calix- 
tincs  or  Catholics.  In  regard  to  this  edict,  Mr.  Jones 
remarivS  :  "  At  first  the  states  would  not 
allow  this  edict  the  force  of  law,  go  jealous  ^^^  '  '' 
were  the  Bohemians  of  their  liberties,  and 
it  took  four  years  to  bring  them  to  consent  to  a  statute 
which  prohibited  the  ^United  Brethren^  from  holding  any 
religious  assemblies,  public  or  private;  commanded  that 
their  meeting-houses  should  all  be  shut  up,  that  they 
should  not.be  allowed  either  to  preach  or  print,  and  that 
within  a  given  time  they  should  all  h.o\di  religious  com- 
munion with  either  the  Calixtines  or  the  Catholics J^  K^ot 
long  after  the  passage  of  this  cruel  edict,  some  of  these 
Wa-ldenses  were  committed  to  the  flames  because  they 
would  neither  commune  with  the  Catholics  nor  with  those 
that  did  commune  with  Rome.  By  this  we  learn  that  the 
true  Waldenses  were  so  strict  in  communion  that  they  pre- 
ferred death  by  burning  to  the  indorsement  of  error  by 
communing  with  false  churches.  In  their  treatise  on  An- 
tichrist, the  ancient  Waldenses  said :  "  We 
hold  communion  and  maintain  unity  one  ^_ .  *  '' 
with  another,  freely  and  uprightly,  having 
no  other  object  to  propose  herein  but  purely  and  singly  to 
please  the  Lord,  and  seek  the  salvation  of  our  souls.''  The 
Waldenses  did  not  hold  communion  with  Antichrist,  but 
with  one  another.  The  fact  that  the  "Waldenses  main- 
tained that  the  only  true  church  was  among  themselves, 
furnishes  evidence  that  they  did  not  commune  with  others  ; 
for  they  regarded  communion  as  a  church  ordinance  in  the 
kingdom  of  Christ;  they  could  not,  therefore,  give  or  re- 
ceive the  Lord's  Supper  beyond  the  limits  of  the  church. 
Again:  The  Waldenses  were  called -.iTiaiop^ii'^s.    They 


366  The  Waldensean  (Period, 

would  not  receive  to  their  fellowship  and  communion  those 
who  had  been  baptized  by  other  parties.     As  already  re- 
marked, all  those  who  practiced  Anabaptism  were  also 
strict  in  their  communion.     Mr.  Orchard  remarks,  on  this 
point :  "  The  Albigenses  prevailed  in  the 
'     Y  '     ^^^^^^''    south  of  France.     These  people  admitted 
those  only  to  the  Lord's  Supper  who  had 
been    immersed    (Mezeray,)    after    fasting    and    prayer.'^ 
These  Albigenses  were  the  same  with  the  Waldenses  on 
all  points  of  church  organization.     They  were  really  a 
part  of  the  same  religious  community.     They  were  strict 
in  communion.     Those  called  Petrobrusians  were  ancient 
Waldenses.     Mr.  Orchard  says  that,  "  Peter  de  Bruys 

and  his  followers  declared  all  baptisms 
S.  Bapt.  Beview,  n         i  .  x     i     i-  rm 

^^^^  '    null  unless  given  to  believers,     ihey  re- 

baptized  all  proselytes,  and  were  anti- 
pedobaptists.     They  were  very  strict.'^     Again :   of  the 

Waldenses,  Mr.  Orchard  remarks  :  "  They 
S.  Bapt.  Review,  a     •    x        i  x  •   i.  •       t> 

.  ^o  w^ere  Scriptural,  or  strict  communion  Jiap- 

tists,  so  far  as  communities  can  be  discov- 
ered among  them,''  No  historian,  known  to  me,  has  ever 
dared  to  assert  that  the  ancient  witnessing  Waldenses 
were  open  communionists.  During  nearly  all  the  period 
of  the  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years  of  their  testimony 
there  were  no  modern  Protestants  for  them  to  commune 
with ;  and  when  the  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury occurred,  the  strict  Waldenses  had  no  more  fellow- 
ship for  them  than  they  had  for  the  Catholics.  During 
eleven  hundred  years  of  the  sackcloth  testimony  of  the 
Waldenses,  there  were  no  Lutherans,  no  Episcopalians, 
no  Presbyterians,  and,  of  course,  no  Methodists,  to  tempt 
them  to  deviate  from  the  laws  of  Jesus  Christ  in  regard 


Waldenses  Strict  in  Communion.         367 

to  the  Supper.  Will  any  one  so  far  stultify  himself  as  to 
affirm  that  these  ancient  sufferers  held  religious  commun- 
ion with  the  Romish  apostasy? 

The  Waldenses  regarded  all  the  Catholic  worship  as 
the  grossest  idolatry ;  they  did  not,  therefore,  commune 
with  Antichrist.  They  boldly  affirmed  that  the  Church 
of  Korae  is  the  "  whore  of  Babylon ;  '^  and  any  commun- 
ion with  her  they  regarded  as  spiritual  fornication  —  an 
unspeakable  abomination.  For  repudiating  the  Romish 
communion,  with  all  her  abominable  superstitions,  the  W  al- 
denses  suffered  untold  persecutions  through  all  the  dark 
ages  of  popish  rule.  Yes:  these  ancient  Waldensean  Bap- 
tists, as  a  denomination,  raised  the  only  standard  of  oppo- 
sition and  protest  against  the- corruptions  and  blasphemy  of 
the  papal  dragon  during  the  dark  midnight  of  the  world 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years  before  Luther,  King  Henry, 
Calvin,  and  others,  raised  the  standard  of  rebellion  in  the 
Church  of  Rome,  in  which  mighty  religious  earthquake  a 
tenth  part  of  the  harlot  city  fell.  But,  alas  !  these  mighty 
reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century,  instead  of  coming  out 
of  Babylon,  as  they  were  commanded,  attempted  to  reform 
that  old,  polluted,  miserable,  bloody,  debased,  cruel, 
drunken  ecclesiastical  bawd,  in  order  to  prepare  a  bride 
for  the  Lamb  of  God !  And  their  reforming  efforts  were 
so  tremendous  as  to  shake  "Mystery  Babylon^'  to  her 
dark  foundations.  This  brought  on  her  pangs;  and 
amidst  her  mighty  throes,  which  shook  the  nations,  she 
brought  forth  those  ecclesiastical  organizations  called, 
in  the  Bible,  "Harlots  and  abominations  of  the 
EAKTH."  These  daughters  of  the  old  "Mother  and  Mis- 
tress of  Churches  ^^  still  retain  the  peculiar  characteristic 
f-^^tures  of  the  "  Mother  Church  ;'^  for  they  have  all  sought, 


368  The  Waldensean  Period. 

and  entered,  when  they  have  had  the  opportunity,  into  an 
adulterous  marriage  with  civil  powers.  And  they,  like 
their  mother,  have  "  committed  fornication  with  the  kings 
oi'  the  earth. '^  '^^^^7^  ^s  organizations,  have  derived  their 
ordinances,  their  laws,  more  or  less,  and  their  church  ex- 
istence, from  Rome.  But  now  they  come,  dressed  up  in 
the  garments  of  reformation,  and  wish  to  commune  with 
the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife !  The  bride  of  the  Lamb 
has  no  more  business  to  af&liate  and  commune  with  these 
mystic  daughters  of  E-ome  than  the  faithful  wife  has  to 
become  the  associate  of  the  abandoned  women  of  earth. 

But  will  it  be  said  that  there  are  some  of  God's  children 
in  these  churches  which  sprang  from  Catholicism?  May 
we  not  commune  with  them  ?  There  are  some  of  God's 
children  in  old  Rome  herself;  but  they  are  commanded 
to  "  come  out '^  of  her.  AYe  are  not  to  go  into  these  human 
societies  to  get  communion  with  them.  The  people  of  God 
are  required  to  come  out,  and  eat  and  drinh  at  the  Lord's 
table  in  his  kingdom.  Most  persons  fail  to  distinguish 
between  organizations  and  individuals.  Many  things  may 
be  true  of  organizations  as  such,  which  are  not  true  of  the 
individuals  w^iich  compose  those  organizations.  It  is  true, 
as  an  organization,  that  the  Church  of  Rome  is  represented 
as  the  "MotJier  of  Harlots ^^  but  this  is  not  true  of  every 
individual  member  of  the  Catholic  church.  Individually, 
there  are,  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  many  virtuous,  honor- 
able, conscientious,  high-toned,  charitable  men  and  w^omen. 
And  more :  I  am  confident  that  there  are  some  of  God's 
dear  children  in  the  Romish  Babylon.  The  same,  and 
more,  may  be  said  of  the  churches  which  came  from 
Catholicism ;  for  the  reformed  churches  are  improvements 
on  popery.     The  unchastlty  of  these  societies  has  regard 


Wizldenses  Strict  in  Cow.nvunion.         369 

to  their  false  worship,  in  giving  the  honor  to  men  that 
should  be  given  to  God  alone.  God,  by  the  mouth  of  the 
prophet,  pointed  out  the  cities  of  Samaria  and  Jerusalem 
under  the  figures  of  two  debased  "harlots;"  and  yet, 
there  were  some  virtuous  people  in  those  cities,  even  some 
of  God^s  prophets.  Mixed  or  "open"  communion  in- 
volves the  recognition  of  those  organizations  with  whose 
members  we  commune.  The  ancient  witnessing  Waldenses 
were  what  are  now  called  "close"  communionists.  They 
maintained,  at  fearful  cost,  the  Bible  teaching  of  restricted 
communion.  They  walked  in  this  "  narrow  way."  They 
possessed  the  same  peculiar  characteristic  feature  which 
now  calls  down  the  frowns  of  the  world  on  the  Baptists. 

Seventh:  The  Baptists  have  never  persecuted  others; 
but  have  themselves  always  been  peculiarly  persecuted  and 
every-where  spoken  against.  Both  friends  and  foes  are 
agreed  that  the  Waldenses  possessed  this  peculiarity  in 
the  superlative  degree;  for,  of  all  others,  they  have  been 
the  most  bitterly  persecuted,  and  slaughtered  by  millions 
on  account  of  their  fidelity  to  Jesus  Christ.  It  would  oc- 
cupy volumes  to  enter  into  a  detailed  history  of  the  perse- 
cutions and  sufferings  of  the  ancient  Waldenses.  It  was 
the  wrath  of  the  papal  dragon  which  made  it  necessary 
for  the  church  to  flee  into  the  wilderness  to  find  an  asylum 
from  the  fearful  storms  of  persecutions  raised  against  it; 
and  though  the  church  was  saved  from  destruction,  yet 
"the  remnant  of  her  seed"  endured  the  wrath  of  the 
dragon  for  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years.  In  them 
has  been  fulfilled  the  prophecy  where  it  is  said,  "  The 

same  horn  made  war  with  the  saints,  and  ^      „  o.  «^  ^- 
.-,    T  .  1  .1    1       i       .         Dan.  7: 21, 22,2o. 

prevailed  agauist  them ;  until  the  Ancient 

of  Days  came,  and  judgment  was  given  to  the  saints  of 


370  The  Wakienscan  Period. 

the  Most  High,  and  the  time  came  that  the  saints  pos- 
sessed the  kingdom/^  ^^And  they  shall  be  given  into  his 
hands  until  a  time,  and  times,  and  the  dividing  of  time/' 
At  the  commencement  of  this  chapter  it  was  seen  that  the 
decree  of  the  emperors  Theodosius  and  Honorious  made 
death  the  penalty  for  re-baptizing.  This  decree  was  made 
against  the  Novatians,  who  fled  to  the  valleys  of  the  Alps, 
and  were  afterward  known  as  Waldenses.  The  Paulicians, 
who  are  known  to  have  been  the  Waldenses  of  the  East, 
suffered  the  most  terrible  persecutions  under  Theodora. 
Mr.  Orchard  says:  "The  severest  perse- 

ici.    ^V  •     '^-j    cutions  experienced  by  them  was  encour- 
vol.  i,  p.  137.  ^  ■^ 

aged  by  the  Empress  Theodora,  A.D.  845. 

Her  decrees  were  severe,  but  the  cruelty  with  which  they 
were  put  in  execution  by  her  officers  was  horrible  beyond 
expression.  Mountains  and  hills  were  covered  with  in- 
habitants. Her  sanguinary  inquisitors  explored  cities  and 
mountains  in  lesser  Asia.  After  confiscating  the  goods 
and  property  of  an  hundred  thousand  of  these  people,  the 
owners  to  that  number  were  put  to  death  in  the  most  bar- 
barous manner,  and  made  to  expire  slowly  under  a  variety 
of  the  most  exquisite  tortures.  The  flatterers  of  the  em- 
press boast  of  having  extirpated  in  nine  years  that  num- 
ber of  Paulicians.^'  We  have  the  following  account  of  the 
persecutions  of  a  company  of  Waldenses  who  made  their 
appearance  in  England  in  the  year  1159:  "Toward  the 
middle  of  the  twelfth  century  a  small  so- 

f  213  ^^'*  "^"^ '  ^^^*^  ^^  *^^^^^  Puriia7is,  as  they  were  calkd 
by  some,  or  WaldenseSj  as  they  were  termed 
by  others,  or  Paulicians,  as  they  were  denominated  by 
our  old  monkish  historian,  William  of  Newburg,  made 
their  appearance  in  England.     This  latter  writer,  speaking 


Waldenses  (Persecuted.  371 

of  them,   says :    '  They  came  originally  from   GascoynGj 

where,  being  as  numerous  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  they 

sorely  infested  both  France,  Italy,  Spain,  and  England.'^' 

"They   were  apprehended,   and    brought 

before  a  council  of  the  clero^y  at  Oxford.         ^.^      '        '' 

.  .    .  P-  213. 

Being  interrogated  about  their  religion, 

their  teacher,  named  Gerard,  a  man  of  learning,  ansv/ered 
in  their  name,  that  they  were  Christians,  and  believed  the 
doctrines  of  the  apostles.  Upon  a  more  particular  inquiry, 
it  was  found  that  they  denied  several  of  the  received  doc- 
trines of  the  church,  such  as  purgatory,  prayers  for  the 
dead,  and  the  invocation  of  saints;  and  refusing  to  aban- 
don these  damnable  heresies,  as  they  were  ca-lled,  they 
were  condemned  as  incorrigible  heretics,  and  delivered  to 
the  secular  arm  to  be  punished.  The  king  (Plenry  IL), 
at  the  instigation  of  the  clergy,  commanded  them  to  be 
branded  with  a  red-hot  iron  on  the  forehead,  to  be  whipped 
through  the  streets  of  Oxford,  and,  having  their  clothes 
cut  short  by  their  girdles,  to  be  turned  into  the  open  fields, 
all  persons  being  forbidden  to  afford  them  any  shelter  or 
relief  under  the  severest  penalties.  This  cruel  sentence 
was  executed  in  its  utmost  rigor;  and,  it  being  the  depth 
of  winter,  all  these  unhappy  persons  perished  with  cold 
and  hunger.'^  Thus  we  have  the  record  of  the  sad  fate  of 
these-  thirty  Waldenses,  men  and  women,  wdio  fled  into 
England  from  the  hands  of  persecution,  only  to  meet  a  more 
fearful  doom  from  the  hands  of  those  who  professed  to  be 
Christians.  Again :  Ildefonsus,  the  King  of  Arragon,  is- 
sued a  cruel  edict  against  the  Waldenses  in  the  year  1194, 
in  which  is  contained  language  as  follows  : 
"  AVhosoever,  therefore,  from  this  day  for-  '^'^'^g  ^^'  ^''■' 
ward,  shall  presume  to  receive  the  said 


372  The   Wakiensean  (Period. 

Waldenses  and  Inzabbati,  or  any  other  heretics  of  whatso- 
ever profession,  into  their  houses,  or  to  be  present  at  their 
pernicious  sermons,  or  to  afford  them  meat,  or  any  other 
favor,  shall  thereby  incur  the  indignation  of  Almighty 
God,  as  well  as  ours,  and  have  his  goods  confiscated  with- 
out the  remedy  of  an  appeal,  and  be  punished  as  if  he  were 
actually  guilty  of  high  treason.'^ 

Thus  Ave  learn,  that  in  Arragon,  now  Spain,  the  pen- 
alty for  giving  food,  or  showing  any  other  favor  to  the 
hated  Waldenses,  was  death,  as  for  high  treason.  What 
must  have  been  the  wrath  and  indignation  against  these 
poor  people,  when  it  was  considered  a  crime  worthy  of 
death,  for  even  a  Catholic  to  favor  one  of  them  with 
shelter  from  the  storm,  a  piece  of  bread,  or  a  cup  of 
cold  water?  And  in  this  persecution,  ^^The  archbishops 
and  bishops  of  Guienne  and  other  prov- 
o?ies      I.     IS.,     -j-j^gg   q£  France,  as  well   as   the   clergy 

throughout  the  different  dioceses,  w^ere 
enjoined  to  banish  the  Waldenses,  Puritans  and  Paterines 
from  their  territories;  to  mark  them,  and  take  care  that 
they  should  neither  enjoy  Christian  privileges  while  liv- 
ing, nor  burial  when  dead.'^ 

It  might  have  been  supposed,  that  the  Catholic  fury 
would  have  been  satiated  with  the  death  of  these  saints, 
but  not  so;  they  persecuted  the  mutilated  bodies  of  the 
dead  Waldenses,  by  denying  them  the  poor  privilege  of 
a  resting-place  in  the  grave.  Is  this  the  religion  of  Jesus  ? 
About  the  time  of  the  marching  of  the  crusading  armies 
against  the  Albigenses  in  the  south  of  France,  a  public 
discussion  was  agreed  upon,  between  the  Albigenses  and 
the  Catholics,  who  entered  into  the  discussion  under  pre- 
tense of  fairness,  in  order   to    detain  their  unsuspecting 


Waldenses  (Persecuted,  373 

victims  till  the  arrival  of  the  crusaders^  when  the  discus- 
sion was  terminated  with  the  slaughter  of  the  Albigenses. 
The  discussion  had  progressed  several  days,  conducted 
on  the  part  of  the  Albigenses  by  Arnold  Hot,  and  on  the 
part  of  the  Catholics  by  bishop  Eusus,  when  it  was  sud- 
denly broken  up  by  the  Catholic  army  of  the  crusaders, 
which  w^as  employed  to  murder  those  whom  the  bishops 
could  not  vanquish  in  debate.  And  after  the  slaughter 
of  those  assembled,  this  holy  (?)  army  proceeded  to  deso- 
late the  country,  and  ^'Uhe  armies  employed  by  Pope 
Innocent  III.  destroyed  above  two  hun- 
dred thousand  of  them  in  the  short  space  ^^^^^f  ^^^'  ^^•' 
of  a  few  months.^"  It  will  be  remem- 
bered, that  the  Albigenses  and  Waldenses  were  the  same 
class  of  Christians.  And  in  order  to  exterminate  the 
Albigenses  from  the  south  of  France,  crusading  armies 
were  raised  by  order  of  the  Pope  to  perform  this  bloody 
w^ork.  In  order  the  better  to  seduce  the  superstitious 
Catholics  into  their  army,  they  were  granted  plenary 
indulgence  to  sin,  wdth  the  promise  of  the  joys  of  heaven, 
as  a  reward  for  murdering  the  saints  of  God.  So  great 
-svas  their  enthusiasm  against  the  Albigenses,  that  "the 
legate  Milo's  army  was  found  to  consist 

of  about  three  hundred  thousand  fighting    -^^'J'^^  ^^v 

D    144 
men.^^     And  the  enormities  committed  by 

these  so-called  "  Christian  armies"  beggars  all  description. 

Concerning  these  desolating  scenes,  Mr.  Jones  remarks: 

"  The  scenes  of  slaughter  and  devastation  which  had  been 

carried  on  against  the  Albigenses  in  the 


Jones'    Cli.  His., 
p.  290. 

of  the  thirteenth  century,  in  w^hich  time  it  has  been  corn- 


southern    provinces    of  France,  for  more 
than  twenty  years  during  the  former  part 


374  The   Waldensean  ^Period. 

puted  that  a  million  of  persons  bearing  that  name  were 
\  it  to  death,  had  occasioned  many  of  them  to  cross  the 
Pyrenees,  and  seek  a  shelter  from  the  storm  in  the  Spanish 
provinces  of  Arragon  and  Catalonia/^ 

In  regard  to  the  persecutions  of  the  Waldenses  in  other 

countries,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  century,  Mr. 

Jones  says:  "In  Sicily  in  particular,  the 

owes       I.      IS.,    jj-Qpgj.j^^  fyj.y  raged  against  them.     They 

were  ordered  to  be  treated  with  the  great- 
est severity,  that  they  might  be  banished,  not  only  from 
the  country,  but  from  the  earth.  And  throughout  Italy, 
both  Gregory  IX.  and  Honorius  IV.  harassed  and  op- 
])ressed  them  with  the  most  unrelenting  barbarity,  by 
means  of  the  Inquisition.  The  living  were,  without  mercy, 
committed  to  the  hands  of  the  executioner,  their  houses 
razed  to  the  ground,  their  goods  confiscated,  and  even  the 
slumbering  remains  of  the  dead  were  dragged  from  their 
graves  and  their  bones  committed  to  the  flames.'^  These 
persecutions  were  not  the  result  of  the  outburst  of  passion 
upon  the  part  of  inferior  officers  in  the  Catholic  service; 
but  it  seems  to  have  been  the  settled  policy  of  the  Pope, 
with  all  his  inferior  clergy,  to  eradicate  from  the  Catholic 
mind  and  heart  every  principle  of  compassion,  in  order  to 
instigate  every  son  of  the  church  to  persecute  the  Wal- 
denses with  the  fury  of  incarnate  fiends. 

About  the  year  1400  the  Waldensean  inhabitants  of  the 
valley  of  Pragela  were  surprised  by  the  Catholic  soldiers. 
The  attack  was  made  upon  them  in  December,  when  the 
mountains  were  covered  with  snow.  As  the  work  of 
slaughter  and  death  went  on  in  the  valley,  the  remnant 
of  the  inhabitants  that  escaped  the  fury  of  the  soldiers, 
perished  in  the  mountain  snows.     Mr.  Jones  says,  of  their 


Waldo^ises  (Persecuted.  375 

fate:   "They  fled  to  one  of  the  highest 

mountains  of  the  Alps,  with  their  wives      ^^^T^r.     ^'      ^^'' 
^  ^  p.  319. 

and  children,  the  unhappy  mothers  carry- 
ing the  cradle  in  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  leading 
such  of  their  offspring  as  were  able  to  walk.  Their  inhu- 
man invaders,  whose  feet  were  swift  to  shed  blood,  pursued 
them  in  their  flight  until  night  came  on,  and  slew  great 
numbers  of  them  before  they  could  reach  the  mountains. 
Those  that  escaped  were,  however,  reserved  to  experience 
a  fate  not  more  enviable.  Overtaken  by  the  shades  of 
night,  they  wandered  up  and  down  the  mountains,  covered 
with  snow,  destitute  of  the  means  of  shelter  from  the  in- 
clemencies of  the  w^eather,  or  of  supporting  themselves 
under  it  by  any  of  the  comforts  which  Providence  has 
destined  for  that  purpose.  Benumbed  with  cold,  they  fell 
an  easy  prey  to  the  severity  of  the  climate,  and,  when  the 
night  had  passed  away,  there  were  found  in  their  cradles, 
or  lying  upon  the  snow,  four  score  of  their  infants  de- 
prived of  life,  many  of  their  mothers  also  lying  dead  by 
their  sides,  and  others  just  on  the  point  of  expiring. 
During  the  night  their  enemies  were  busily  employed  in 
plundering  the  houses  of  everything  that  was  valuable, 
wdiich  they  conveyed  aTray  to  Susa.  A  poor  woman  be- 
longing to  the  Waldenses,  named  Margaret  Athode,  w^as 
next  morning  found  hanging  upon  a  tree."  In  order  to 
instigate  the  civil  rulers  to  slaughter  the  AYaldenses  as 
they  would  ravenous  beasts,  the  Catholic  clergy  Avere  ac- 
customed to  fabricate  and  circulate  the  most  fabulous  slan- 
ders and  falsehoods  concerning  these  people.  They  even 
represented  their  children  as  little  mon- 
sters. The  Duke  of  Savoy,  "  having  been  ^'"g'^j^  ^^'-  ^^•' 
informed  that  their  young  children  were 


The  Waldensean  Period. 


born  with  black  throats;  that  they  were  hairy,  and  had 
four  rows  of  teeth,  with  only  one  eye,  and  that  placed  in 
the  middle  of  the  forehead, —  he  commanded  some  of 
them  to  be  brought  before  him  at  Pignerol,  where,  being 
satisfied  by  occular  demonstration  that  the  Waldenses 
were  not  monsters,  he  blamed  himself  for  being  so  easily 
imposed  upon  by  the  clergy  of  the  Catholic  Church  as  to 
credit  such  idle  report,^'  etc. 

This  illustrates  the  blinding  power  of  "  religious "  prej- 
udice. In  the  fifteenth  century,  when  the  Waldenses 
were  slaughtered  in  the  valley  Loyse,  by  the  command  of 
Pope  Innocent  YIII.,  a  part  of  the  inhabitants  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  caves  in  the  mountains.  But  the  Catholic 
general  discovered  their  places  of  retreat,  and  built  large 
fires  in  the  entrances  to  the  caves ;  and  immense  numbers 
were,  in  this  w^ay,  suffocated  in  their  caves :  and  among 

the  rest, /our  hundred  children  were  "suf- 
^^"22  ^ '    focated  in  their  cradles,  or  in  the  arms  of 

their  dead  mothers/'  In  the  early  part  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  the  most  cruel  persecutions  continued 
to  be  waged  against  the  Waldenses  in  the  south  of  France; 
and  in  the  year  1545,  John  Meinier  led  the  Catholic 
forces  against  the  Waldenses  in  Provence,  in  France. 
And  among  other  horrid  cruelties,  this  inhuman  ^yretch 

"shut  up  about  forty  women  in   a  barn 

ones        .      w.,    ^^Y\  Qf  };jr^y  r^^-y^  straw,  and  then  set  it  on 
J).  331.  -'  ^ 

fire;  and  after  that,   the  poor  creatures, 

having  attempted  in  vain  to  smother  the  fire  with  their 
clothes,  which,  for  that  end,  they  had  pulled  off,  betook 
themselves  to  the  great  window,  at  which  the  hay  is  com- 
monly pitched  up  into  the  barn,  with  an  intention  to  leap 
down  from  thence.     But  they  were  kept  in  with  spikea 


Waldensss  Persecuted,  37'« 

and  spears,  so  that  all  of  them  perished  in  the  flamcs.^^ 
It  is  heart-sickening  to  record  the  horrid  transactions 
of  Catholic  popes  and  their  emissaries,  in  their  vain 
attempt  to  destroy  the  Church  of  Christ  from  the  world. 
It  would  be  more  pleasant  to  draw  a  curtain  over  thosa 
dismal  scenes  of  persecution,  and  let  them  be  forever 
blotted  from  the  history  o£  the  world.  But,  one  of  the 
designs  of  history  is  to  give  faithfully,  not  only  the  rise 
of  principles  and  systems,  but  also  their  fruits  for  good  or 
evil,  that  coming  generations  may  avoid  the  errors  which 
have  filled  the  world  with  misery  and  woe.  Roman 
Catholics  are  no  worse  by  nature  than  others.  The  per- 
secutions which  they  have  waged  against  others,  arise 
from  their  false  religious  principles.  The  first  step  tovv'ard 
persecution  among  professed  Christians,  was  the  gradual 
introduction  of  a  change  from  the  simple  brotherly  com- 
pact of  religious  equality  established  by  Jesus  Christ,  for 
the  hierarchy  in  the  third  century.  As  long  as  the  princi- 
ples of  religious  equality  are  observed,  there  can  be  no 
persecution.  Any  religious  system  which  gives  one  person 
ecclesiastical  authority  over  another,  contains  the  seeds 
of  persecution.  Infimt  baptism  and  membership  is  but 
the  development  of  the  principle  of  a  hierarchal  form  of 
church  government,  which  gives  one  person  rule  over 
another  in  matters  of  religion.  We  may,  therefore,  con- 
sider infant  baptism  as  the  second  element  of  religious 
persecution.  Where  all  have  equal  rights  in  church 
government,  there  can  be  no  infant  baptism;  and  Avhere 
there  is  no  infant  baptism^  religious  persecution,  to  the 
shedding  of  blood,  is  not  likely  to  prevail.  Every  church 
holding  an  episcopal,  or  hierarchal  form  of  government, 
has  persecuted  when  it  has  had  the  power.     The  Wal- 


378  The  Waldensean  (Period. 

denses  have  never  persecuted  others.  It  is  impossible  to 
persecute  on  Baptist  principles.  Some  have  concluded 
that  every  church,  if  it  had  the  power,  would  persecute 
and  shed  the  blood  of  others  on  the  account  of  religion. 
This  is  a  mistake.  Baptists,  though  sorely  persecuted 
from  generation  to  generation,  have  never  oppressed, 
imprisoned,  or  caused  the  blood  of  others  to  be  shed,  on 
the  ground  of  religion.  This  is  one  of  the  strongest  proofs 
tliat  we  have  the  Bible  organization. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  Catholic  Church  would 
not  now  persecute,  if  she  had  the  power,  as  she  did  in 
former  times.  This  is  a  mistake;  for  Home  now  possesses 
every  element  of  despotism  and  persecution  that  she  ever 
had.  In  fact,  the  element  of  persecution  seems  to  be  on 
the  increase  with  the  Catholics ;  for,  in  this  present  year, 
A.  D.  1870,  the  slight  restraint  heretofore  resting  on  the 
Pope  from  the  authority  of  the  General  Council,  has  been 
removed,  and  the  Pope  has  been  declared  infallible  by  the 
General  Council  at  Rome.  And  even  to  this  day,  the 
Catholic  bishops  are  sworn,  in  their  oath  of  consecration, 
to  ^'  oppose  and  persecute  heretics  to  the 

2^0  *  *'  utmost  of  their  power."  They  have  re- 
garded the  Baptists  as  "heretics'^  of  the 
deepest  cast ;  they  are,  therefore,  sicor-n  to  persecute  Bap- 
tists to  the  utmost  of  their  power.  Modern  Baptists  are 
not  generally  apprised  of  the  great  cost  at  which  Baptist 
principles  have  been  preserved.  In  the  year  1232,  at  the 
instigation  of  Pope  Gregory  IX.,  the  Emperor  Fred- 
erick IL,  "^commanded  all  judges  imme- 

.,  *  ■'  *  '  d lately  to  deliver  to  the  flames  every  man 
)S.  U.,  p.  57.  ''  ^ 

who  should  be  convicted  of  heresy  by  the 
bishop  of  his  diocese,  and  to  pull  out  the  tongue  of  those 


Waldenses  Persecuted.  379 

to  Avliom  the  bishop  should  think  it  proper  to  show  favor, 
that  they  might  not  corrupt  others/  "  It  was  sometimes 
the  custom  for  the  Catholics  to  cut  out  the  tongues  of  the 
AValdeuses  to  prevent  their  preaching  while  they  were 
burning  at  the  stake. 

But  amid  all  these  fearful  sufferings  God  caused  the 
wrath  of  man  to  praise  him,  so  that  the  saying  was  verified, 
that  "  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church.'^ 
And  to  the  same  effect,  Mr.  Jones  remarks  that :  "  Those 

bloody  edicts  which  were  published,  those 

li  \  '   V.  Tixi  jxix  Jones^   Ch.   His., 

tires  which  were  lighted  up,  and  that  va-         0,0 

riety  of  torments  which  priests  and  inquis- 
itors invented  with  ingenious  cruelty,  served  in  reality  to 
propagate  the  doctrines  against  which  they  were  employed, 
and  contributed  to  inflame,  rather  than  extinguish,  that 
ardent  zeal  with  which  the  Protestants  were  animated.'^ 

.  Near  the  close  of  the  long  period  marked  as  the  Wal- 
densean  period^  the  Waldenses  began  to  be  called  Bap- 
tists. They  had  been  called  Anabaptists  from  the  time 
of  Xovatian.  Cardinal  Hosius,  a  learned  Catholic,  who 
was  chairman  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  speaking  of  the 
AValdensean  Baptists,,  says :  "  If  the  truth 
of  relio^ion  were  to  be  iudo^ed  of  bv  the  ^^/  ^oV-*  '^^"' 
readiness  and  cheerfulness  which  a  man 
of  any  sect  shows  in  suffering,  then  the  opinions  and  per- 
suasions of  no  sect  can  be  truer  or  surer  than  those  of  the 
Anabaptists;  since  there  have  been  none  for  these  twelve 
hundred  years  past  that  have  been  more  grievously  pun- 
Jslied.^' 

Reader,  mark  the  historic  fact,  that  for  twelve  hundred 
years  prior  to  1570  the  Baptists  had  suffered  the  most 
cruel  punishments  on  account  of  their  principles.     This 


380  Tlic   Wddensean  Period, 

can  be  said  of  no  donomi nation  except  the  Baptists.  Near 
the  close  of  the  AVahlonsean  period,  in  the  year  1G55,  on 
the  twenty-fifth  day  of  Jannary,  Andrew  Gastahlo,  the 
Catholic  oovernor  under  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  published  a 
most  inhuman  "order''  against  the  AValdenses  of  the  val- 
leys of  Piedmont.  And  in  this  fiendish  order  of  Gas- 
taldo  the  Waldenses  were  reipiired,  '^  With  in  three  days 

after  the  j^ implication  of  tJioi^e  presents,  to 

Juncs^   Ch.   His.,         .,77  77  I  1  J     I  -ii   ii    ' 

.-,,_  '    lodharaw  and  depart,  and  to  be,  icit/i  tfieir 

families,  ivithdrawn  out  oj  the  said  ^;/ac('.s', 
and  transported  into  the  places  allowed  by  his  royal  high- 
ness during  his  good  pleasure,  etc.,  under  paiii  of  death 
and  confiscation  of  houses  and  goods;  provided,  alwaijs, 
that  they  do  not  make  it  appear  to  us,  within  twenty  days 
following,  that  they  are  become  Catholics,  or  that  they 
have  sold  their  goods  to  Catholics,"  This  dreadful  order 
required  thousands  of  families  to  leave  all,  in  the  dead  gf 
winter,  and  attempt  a  flight,  over  snow-covered  mountains, 
M'ith  women  and  children,  sick  and  infirm,  with  only  three 
days'  notice  to  start  to  seek  homes  in  foreign  countries. 
But  before  they  could  get  away  the  Catholics  were  turned 
loose  on  them  to  slaughter  the  defenseless  AValdenses  with- 
out mercy.  We  give  the  letter  written  by  the  Waldcnses 
directly  after  the  dreadful  tragedy.  They  begin  this 
mournful  letter  by  saying : 

"Brethren  and  fathers:  —  Our  tears  are  no  morp  tears 

of  water,  but  of  blood,  which  not  only  obscure  our  sight, 

but  oppress  our  very  hearts.     Our  pen 

^"^o,-p    OP-  '^''    i'*?  Quided  by  a  tremblino;  hand,  and  Dur 
pp.  3b6,  36/.  ,^  ♦'.  ^  ^ 

minds  are  distracted  by  such  unexpected 
alarms,  that  we  are  incapable  of  framing  a  letter  which 
shall  correspond  with  our  wishes,  or  the  strangeness  of  out 


Waldenses  (Persecuted,  381 

desolations.  In  this  respect,  therefore,  we  plead  your  ex- 
cuse, and  that  you  woukl  endeavor  to  collect  our  meaning 
from  what  we  would  impart  to  you. 

Whatever  reports  may  have  been  circulated  concerning 
our  obstinacy  in  refusing  to  have  recourse  to  his  royal 
highness  for  a  redress  of  our  heavy  grievances  and  moles- 
tations, you  can  not  but  know  that  we  have  never  desisted 
from  writing  supplicatory  letters,  or  presenting  our  hum- 
ble requests,  by  the  hands  of  our  deputies,  and  that  they 
were  sent  and  referred,  sometimes  to  the  council  de  prop- 
aganda jide^^  at  other  times  to  the  Marquis  of  Pionessa,t 
and  that  the  three  last  times  they  were  positively  rejected, 
and  refused  so  much  as  an  audience,  under  the  pretext 
that  they  had  no  credentials  nor  instructions  which  should 
authorize  them  to  promise  or  accept,  on  the  behalf  of  their 
respective  churches,  whatever  it  might  please  his  highness 
to  grant  or  bestow  upon  them.  And,  by  the  instigation 
and  contrivance  of  the  Koman  clergy,  there  was  secretly 
placed  in  ambush  an  army  of  six  thousand  men,  who,  an- 
imated and  encouraged  thereto  by  the  personal  presence 
and  active  exertions  of  the  Marquis  of  Pionessa,  fell  sud- 
denly and  in  the  most  violent  manner  upon  the  inhabit- 
ants of  S.  Giovanni  and  La  Torre. 

This  army,  having  once  entered  and  got  a  footing,  was 
soon  augmented  by  the  addition  of  a  multitude  of  the 
neighboring  inhabitants  throughout  all  Piedmont,  who, 
hearing  that  we  were  given  up  as  a  prey  to  the  plunder- 

^'  A  council  established  by  the  court  oiV\,ome  for  propagating  the 
faith,  or,  in  plain  English,  for  extirpating  heretics. 

f  This  unfeeUng  man  seems  to  have  sustained  the  station  of  Prime 
Minister  in  the  court  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  and  Gommander-in-chief 
of  his  army. 


382  Tjie  Waldensean  (Period. 

ers,  fell  upon  the  poor  people  with,  impetuous  fury.  To 
all  those  were  added  an  incalculable  number  of  persons 
that  had  been  outlawed,  prisoners  and  other  oflenders, 
who  expected  thereby  to  have  saved  their  souls  and  filled 
their  purses.  And,  the  better  to  effect  their  purposes,  the 
inhabitants  were  compelled  to  receive ^re  or*  six  regiments 
of  the  French  army,  besides  some  Irish,  to  whom,  it  is  re- 
ported, our  country  was  promised,  with  several  troops  of 
vagabond  persons,  under  the  pretext  of  coming  into  the 
valleys  for  fresh  quarters. 

This  great  multitude,  by  virtue  of  a  Rcense  from  the 
Marquis  of  Pionessa,  instigated  by  the  monks,  and  enticed 
and  conducted  by  our  wicked  and  unnatural  neighbors, 
attacked  us  with  such  violence  on  every  side,  especially  in 
Angrogna,  Villare,  and  Bobbio,  and  in  a  manner  so  hor- 
ribly treacherous,  that  in  an  instant  all  was  one  entire 
scene  of  confusion,  and  the  inhabitants,  after  a  fruitless 
skirmish  to  defend  themselves,  were  compelled  to  flee  for 
their  lives,  with  their  wives  and  children,  and  that  not 
merely  the  inhabitants  of  the  plain,  but  those  of  the  moun- 
tains also.  Nor  was  all  their  diligence  sufficient  to  pre- 
vent the  destruction  of  a  very  considerable  number  of 
them ;  for  in  many  places,  such  as  Villare  and  Bobbio, 
they  were  so  hemmed  in  on  every  side,  the  army  having 
seized  on  the  fort  of  Mareburg  and  by  that  means  blocked 
up  the  avenue,  that  there  remained  no  possibility  of  escape, 
and  nothing  was  left  for  them  but  to  be  massacred  and  put 
to  death.  In  one  place,  they  mercilessly  tortured  not  less 
than  an  hundred  and  fifty  women  and  their  children,  chop- 
ping off  the  heads  of  some,  and  dashing  out  the  brains  of 
others  against  the  rocks ;  and  in  regard  to  those  whom 
they  took  prisoners,  from  fifteen  years  old  and  upward, 


Waldenses  (Persecuted.  383 

who  refused  to  go  to  mass,  they  hanged  some,  and  nailed 
others  to  the  trees  by  the  feet,  with  their  heads  downward. 
It  is  reported  that  they  carried  some  persons  of  note  pris- 
oners to  Turin — viz :  our  poor  brother  and  pastor,  M. 
Gros,  with  some  part  of  his  family.  In  short,  there  is 
neither  cattle  nor  provisions  of  any  kind  left  in  the  valley 
of  Lucerne,  and  it  is  but  too  evident  that  all  is  lost,  since 
there  are  some  whole  districts,  especially  S.  Giovanni  and 
La  Torre,  where  the  business  of  setting  fire  to  our  houses 
and  churches  was  so  dexterously  managed  by  a  Franciscan 
friar  and  a  certain  priest  that  they  left  not  so  much  as  one 
in  either  place  unburnt.  In  these  desolations,  the  mother 
has  been  bereft  of  her  dear  child,  the  husband  of  his  aifec- 
tionate  wife,  and  those  who  were  once  the  richest  among 
us  are  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  begging  their  bread, 
while  others  still  remain  weltering  in  their  own  blood,  and 
dejjrived  of  all  the  comforts  of  life.  And  as  to  the  churches 
in  S.  Martino  and  other  places,  w^io,  on  all  former  occa- 
sions, have  been  a  sanctuary  to  the  persecuted,  they  have 
themselves  now  been  summoned  to  quit  their  dwellings, 
and  every  soul  of  them  to  depart,  and  that  instantaneously 
and  without  respite,  under  pain  of  being  put  to  death  ;  nor 
is  there  any  mercy  to  be  expected  by  any  of  them  who  are 
found  within  the  dominions  of  his  royal  highness. 

The  pretext  which  is  alleged  for  justifying  these  horrid 
proceedings  is,  that  we  are  rebels  against  the  orders  of  his 
highness  for  not  having  brought  the  whole  city  of  Geneva 
within  the  walls  of  Mary  Magdalene  Church,  or,  in  plainer 
terms,  for  not  having  performed  an  utter  impossibility  in 
departing,  in  a  moment,  from  our  houses  and  homes  in 
Bubbiana,  Lucerne,  Fenile,  Bricheras,  La  Torre,  S.  Gio- 
vanni, and  S.  Secondo,  and  also  for  having  renewed  our 


384  The  Waldensea:i  Period. 

repeated  supplications  to  Ins  liigliness  to  commiserate  our 
situation,  ^vho,  while  on  the  one  hand  he  promised  us  to 
make  no  innovations  in  our  lot,  on  the  other  refused  us 
permission  to  depart  peaceably  out  of  his  dominions,  for 
which  we  have  often  entreated  him  in  case  he  would  not 
allow  us  to  continue  and  enjoy  the  liberty  of  our  consciences 
as  his  predecessors  had  always  done.  True  it  is,  that  the 
Marquis  of  Pionessa  adduced  another  reason  (and  we  have 
the  original  copy  of  his  writing  in  our  possession),  which 
is,  that  it  was  his  royal  highness'  pleasure  to  abase  us  and 
humble  our  pride  for  endeavoring  to  shroud  ourselves 
and  take  sanctuary  under  the  protection  of  foreign  princes 
and  States. 

To  conclude,  our  beautiful  and  flourishing  churches  are 
utterly  lost,  and  that  without  remedy,  unless  our  God 
work  miracles  for  us.  Their  time  is  come,  and  our  meas- 
ure is  full.  O,  have  pity  upon  the  desolations  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  be  grieved  for  the  afllictions  of  Joseph.  Show 
forth  your  compassions,  and  let  your  bowels  yearn  in  be- 
half of  so  many  thousands  of  poor  souls,  who  are  reduced 
to  a  morsel  of  bread  for  following  the  Lamb  whithersoever 
he  goeth.  We  recommend  our  pastors,  with  their  scat- 
tered and  dispersed  flocks,  to  your  fervent  Christian  pray- 
ers, and  rest  in  haste. 

Your  brethren  in  the  Lord. 

April  TJ,  1655." 

The  foregoing  letter,  written  by  the  Waldenses  to  their 
friends  soon  after  their  banishment  from  their  homes  amidst 
cruelties  and  slaughter  too  terrible  even  to  be  named,  is 
but  an  example  of  the  sufferings  of  those  witnesses  of  Jesus. 
We  now  come  to  the  final  dispersion  of  the  W^aldenses 


Waldenses  (Persecuted.  385 


from  their  valleys.  They  had  borne  testimony  in  this 
wilderness  retreat  for  1260  years.  The  flight  of  the 
woman,,  or  the  retirement  of  the  church,  into  the  wilder- 
ness, as  we  have  seen,  occurred  in  the  early  part  of  the 
fifth  century.  The  murderous  decrees  of  the  emperors  of 
the  East  and  West  caused  the  Novatians  to  commence 
their  flight  soon  after  the  publication  of  the  decrees  of  ban- 
ishment and  death,  in  A.  D.  413.  It  was  not  possible  for 
all  to  retire  at  the  same  time.  They  continued  to  emi- 
grate till  the  main  body  of  the  Novatians  had  left  Italy, 
which,  I  think,  was  consummated  as  early  as  the  year  425, 
or  426.  And  from  this  date  the  1260  years  will  take  us 
to  the  year  1686,  as  the  time  for  the  woman  to  come  forth 
from  her  hiding-place.  I  am -not  dogmatic  in  the  settle- 
ment of  dates.  These  are  approximate  dates  to  the  re- 
tirement of  the  church  and  her  coming  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness. As  bodies  of  the  Xovatians  had  emigrated  from 
Italy,  from  time  to  time,  prior  to  the  general  flight,  prior 
to  the  year  426,  in  like  manner  the  AValdenses  had  been 
partially  expelled  from  the  valleys  of  the  Alps,  from  time 
to  time,  prior  to  their  final  dispersion  in  1686,  by  the 
armies  of  Louis  XIV.  and  the  Duke  of  Savoy.  The 
woman  was  driven  into  the  wilderness  by  the  persecut- 
ing wrath  of  the  dragon ;  and  it  was  the  dreadful  wrath 
of  the  same  papal  dragon  that  expelled  the  AValdense? 
from  their  places  of  security  in  the  mountains.  The  bloody 
dragon  had  made  '^  war  with  the  remnant  of  her  seed " 
throughout  the  Roman  empire  during  the  twehe  laindred 
and  sixty  years ;  and  while  the  saints  had  been  worn  out 
and  driven  from  one  country  to  another  in  other  parts  of 
the  empire,  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont  the  church  had  a 
local  resting-place,  and  though  sorely  persecuted,  she  had 


386  The   Waldensean  Period. 

not  been  driven  from  her  place  of  retreat.  Here^  in  the 
mountain  valleys,  the  altar-fires  of  the  true  temple  of  God 
burned  undimmed ;  here  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord's 
house  were  faithfully  administered  for  1260  years;  here 
the  sound  of  the  Gospel,  faithfully  preached,  ^Yas  heard 
from  the  lips  of  the  faithful  under-shepherds,  all  this  time ; 
and  from  here,  as  from  a  parent  hive,  faithful  missionaries 
went  forth  on  the  perilous  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel 
and  forming  churches  throughout  the  known  world.  The 
AYaldensean  heresy,  as  it  was  called,  infected  all  the  coun- 
tries of  earth  through  the  influence  of  missionaries  from 
these  valleys.  These  ancient  Waldenses  in  the  Alps 
formed  a  kind  of  Gospel  store-house,  where  the  true  Gos- 
pel, true  ministers,  and  true  ordinances,  could  be  furnished 
to  all  the  world.  But,  at  last,  the  prophetic,  fatal  period 
came.  The  Waldenses  must  be  slain,  or  expelled  from 
their  ancient  loved  valleys.  This  final  dispersion  of  these 
witnesses  for  Christ  took  place,  according  to  Mr.  Jones, 
in  the  year  1686.     He  says:  "I  professed 

r  '  ft  ""'  to  ffive  the  historv  of  the  churches  of  Pied- 
prefacej  p.  9.  °  • 

mont  and  other  places,  commonly  desig- 
nated Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  not  of  individuals ;  and 
as  I  consider  those  churches  to  have  been  utterly  dispersed 
and  scattered  by  a  series  of  persecutions,  w^hich  terminated 
in  the  year  1686,  I  consider  myself  to  have  brought  the 
subject  to  its  legitimate  close." 

After  some  years  of  comparative  quiet  of  the  Waldenses, 
says  Mr.  Jones:  "On  the  31st  of  January,  1686,  they 
were  amazed  at  the  publication  of  an  order  from  the  Duke 
of  Savoy,  forbidding  his  subjects  the  exercise  of  the  Pro- 
testant religion  upon  pain  of  death,  and  the  confiscation 
of  their  goods;  the  demolition  and  the  banishment  of  their 


Waldenses  Persecuted.  387 

pastors.  All  infants  born  from  that  time^  were  to  be 
baptized  and  brought  up  in  the  Roman  Catholic  religion, 
under  the  penalty  of  their  fathers  being  condemned  to  the 
galleys.  Their  consternation  was  extreme."  The  name 
of  the  cruel  wretch  who  has  the  unenviable  reputation  of 
being  the  instrument  of  the  slaughter,  and  final  dispersion 
of  these  martyrs  of  Jesus,  is  Victor  Amadeus  II.,  the  Duke 
of  Savoy.  He,  being  instigated  by  the  Catholic  clergy, 
and  goaded  on  by  King  Louis  XIV.  of  France,  deso- 
lated the  peaceful  valleys  of  the  Waldenses  with  fire  and 
sword  in  such  a  savage  manner  as  should  make  humanity 
Aveep  tears  of  blood,  and  move  to  pity  the  hearts  of  demons 
themselves.  After  the  Waldenses  had  been  brutally  mur- 
dered in  the  valleys,  driven  over  barren  mountain  snows 
into  exile,  or  crowded  into  filthy  prisons,  we  have  the  fol- 
lowing mournful  account  of  the  miseries  of  the  survivors 
of  the  first  slaughter : 

"The  armies  of  France  and  Savoy,  having  inhumanly 
butchered  a  multitude  of  the  Waldenses, 
committed  more  than  twelve  thousand  of  J^^^^f J^'^-  Hl-'-y 
them  to  prison,  and  dispersed  two  thousand 
of  their  children  among  the  Catholics;  concluding  that 
their  work  w^as  accomplished,  they  caused  all  their  property 
to  be  confiscated.  And  thus  were  the  valleys  of  Piedmont 
depopulated  of  their  ancient  inhabitants,  and  the  light  of 
the  glorious  Gospel  extinguished  in  a  country  where,  for 
many  preceding  centuries,  it  had  shone  with  resplendent 
luster. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1686,  the  Swiss  cantons 
convened  a  general  assembly  at  Aran,  to  deliberate  on  the 
condition  of  those  who  were  either  imprisoned  or  in  a 
state  of  exile  in  Piedmont;  and  they  came  to  the  resolu- 


388  The  Waldensean  (Period, 

tion  of  sending  deputies  to  demand  from  the  Duke  the  re- 
lease of  all  that  were  confined,  and  the  privilege  of  quit- 
ting the  country.  The  latter,  probably  by  this  time  glutted 
with  human  carnage,  signed  a  treaty,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  prisons  were  set  open,  and  leave  given  to  such 
as  had  survived,  to  depart  peaceably,  through  that  part  of 
Savoy  which  borders  upon  Berne  and  the  territory  of  Ge- 
neva. But  a  bare  recital  of  the  miseries  which  the  pris- 
oners had  suffered  during  their  confinement,  is  sufficient 
to  sicken  the  heart.  IMore  than  ten  thousand  persons  were 
distributed  among  fourteen  prisons  or  castles  in  Piedmont. 
They  were  fed  for  months  upon  bread  and  water — the 
former,  in  which  were  often  found  lime,  glass,  and  filth  of 
various  kinds,  was  so  bad  as  scarcely  to  deserve  the  name; 
while  the  latter,  in  many  instances  brought  from  stagnant 
pools,  was  scarcely  fit  for  the  use  of  cattle.  Their  lodging 
was  upon  bricks  or  filth}^  straw.  The  prisons  Avere  so 
thronged  that,  during  the  heat  of  the  summer  months,  they 
became  intolerable,  and  deaths  were  daily  taking  place. 
AYant  of  cleanliness  necessarily  engendered  diseases  among 
them;  they  became  annoyed  with  vermin,  which  prevented 
their  sleep  either  by  night  or  day.  Many  women  in  child- 
bearing  were  lost  for  the  want  of  the  care  and  comforts 
necessary  to  such  a  situation,  and  their  infants  shared  the 
same  fate. 

Such  was  the  state  of  these  afflicted  and  persecuted  crea- 
tures, when  the  Duke  of  Savoy's  proclamation  was  issued 
for  releasing  them.  It  was  now  the  month  of  October, 
the  ground  was  covered  with  snow  and  ice;  the  victims  of 
cruelty  were  almost  universally  emaciated  through  poverty 
and  disease,  and  very  unfit  for  the  projected  journey.  The 
proclamation  was  made  at  the  castle  of  Mondovi,  for  ex- 


Waldenses  (Persec^ded.  389 

ample,  and  at  five  o'clock  the  same  evening  tliey  were  to 
begin  a  march  of  four  or  five  leagues!  Before  the  morn- 
ing more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  of  them  sunk  under  the 
burden  of  their  maladies  and  fatigues,  and  died.  The 
same  thing  happened  to  the  prisoners  at  Fossan.  A  com- 
pany of  them  halted  one  night  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Cenis; 
when  they  were  about  to  march  the  next  morning,  they 
pointed  the  officer  who  conducted  them  to  a  terrible  tem- 
pest upon  the  top  of  the  mountain,  beseeching  him  to  allow 
them  to  stay  till  it  had  passed  away.  The  inhuman  officer, 
deaf  to  the  voice  of  pity,  insisted  on  their  marching, — the 
consequence  of  which  was,  that  eighty-six  of  their  number 
died,  and  were  buried  in  that  horrible  tempest  of  snow. 
Some  merchants,  that  afterward  crossed  the  mountains, 
saw  the  bodies  of  these  miserable  people  extended  on  the 
snow,  the  mothers  clasping  their  children  in  their  arms. 

It  is  but  an  act  of  justice,  however,  to  add  that,  in  some 
few  instances,  the  officers  who  conducted  the  different 
troops  of  AValdenses  out  of  the  country  treated  them  with 
more  humanity.  Their  own  historians  admit  the  fact,  and 
it  ought  to  be  recorded,  that  some  took  a  particular  care 
of  them ;  and  certainly  the  picture  that  is  drawn  of  their 
deplorable  condition,  is  such  as  was  well  calculated  to  melt 
the  most  unfeeling  heart  to  tenderness.  The  greater  part 
of  them  were  almost  naked  and  without  shoes ;  and  they 
all  bore  such  striking  marks  of  suffering  and  wretchedness 
that  the  very  sight  of  them  was  enough  to  pierce  the  heai-t. 
Those  who  survived  the  journey,  arrived  at  Geneva  about 
the  middle  of  December,  but  in  such -an  ex.hausted  state^ 
that  several  expired  between  the  two  gates  of  the  city, 
'finding  the  end  of  their  lives  in  the  beginning  of  their 
liberty.'     Others  were  so  benumbed  witli  cold  that  they 


390  The  Woddensean  (Period. 

had  not  power  to  speak ;  many  staggered  from  faintness  and 
disease;  Avliile  others,  having  lost  the  use  of  their  limbs, 
wei'e  unable  to  lift  up  their  hands  to  receive  the  assistance 
that  was  tendered  them. 

At  Geneva  they  experienced  that  kind  and  hospitable 
reception  which  was  due  to  them  as  their  fellow-creatures, 
and  more  especially  as  their  persecuted  Christian  brethren. 
They  clothed  the  naked,  fed  the  hungry,  succored  the  af- 
flicted, and  healed  the  sick.  But  what  pen  can  describe 
the  affecting  scene  which  now  took  place,  while  they  halted 
at  Geneva  for  rest  and  refreshment,  before  they  proceeded 
forward  into  Switzerland !  Those  who  arrived  first,  natu- 
rally went  out  to  meet  those  that  came  after,  anxiously 
inquiring  for  their  relations  and  friends,  of  whom  they  had 
heard  nothing  since  the  fatal  catastrophe  in  the  valleys  of 
Piedmont.  The  father  inquired  after  his  child,  and  the 
child  after  its  parent ;  the  husband  sought  his  wife,  and  the 
latter  her  partner  in  life.  Every  one  endeavored  to  gain 
some  intelligence  of  his  friend  or  neighbor;  but  as  three- 
fourths  of  them  had  died  in  prison  or  on  the  road,  it  exhib- 
ited a  melancholy  spectacle  to  see  so  many  dissolved  in 
tears  at  the  distressing  accounts  they  received.  Their 
principal  earthly  comfort  now  arose  from  the  hospitable 
kindness  of  the  people  of  Geneva,  who  flocked  around 
them  and  evinced  such  solicitude  to  conduct  them  to  their 
own  homes,  that  the  magistrates  of  the  city  were  obliged,  in 
order  to  prevent  confusion  and  disorder,  to  issue  an  injunc- 
tion prohibiting  any  from  going  out  of  the  city.  There 
was  a  noble  emulation  who  should  entertain  the  most  sick, 
or  those  that  were  most  afflicted.  They  received  them  not 
merely  as  strangers  in  distress,  but  as  Christian  brethren, 
who  brought  peace  and  spiritual  blessings  into  their  fami- 


Waldenses  (Persecuted.  391 

lies.  All  that  needed  clothing  were  either  supplied  by 
those  that  lodged  them,  or  by  the  Italian  Bank,  the  direc- 
tors of  which,  from  first  to  last,  evinced  all  the  marks  of 
tender  compassion  and  of  disinterested  kindness. 

But  it  was  not  only  at  Geneva  that  the  Waldenses  met 
with  this  kind  and  hospitable  treatment.  The  cantons  of 
Switzerland  opened  to  them  their  country,  and  not  their 
country  only,  but  their  hearts  and  affections  also.  The 
conduct  of  the  Swiss,  indeed,  was  so  noble  and  disinter- 
ested throughout  the  whole  of  this  distressing  period,  that 
it  would  be  unjust  to  their  memory  to  pass  it  over  with  a 
slight  mention.^^ 

It  was  in  the  memorable  year  1686,  that  the  valleys  of 
Piedmont  were  ^^  depopulated  of  their  ancient  inhabitants, 
and  the  light  of  the  glorious  Gospel  extinguished  in  a  country 
where,  for  many  preceding  centuries,  it  had  shone  with  re- 
splendent luster  y 

The  people  who  have  inhabited  the  valleys  since  the 
great  slaughter  of  1686,  are  not  the  same  class  of  people 
with  the  ancient  witnessing  Waldenses.  The  poet  Milton, 
who  was  secretary  to  Oliver  Cromwell,  composed  the  fol- 
lowing sonnet : 

ON  THE  LATE  MASSACRE  IN  PIEDMONT. 

Avenge,  O  Lord,  thy  slaughtered  saints,  whose  bones 

Lie  scattered  on  the  Alpine  mountains  cold ; 

Even  them  who  kept  thy  truth  so  pure  of  old,  '^^hion^ 

When  all  our  fathers  worshiped  stocks  and  stones,    p.  374, 

Forget  not. .  In  thy  book  record  their  groans 

Who  were  thy  sheep,  and  in  their  ancient  fold 

Slain  by  the  bloody  Piedmontese,  that  rolled 

Mother  with  infant  down  the  rocks.     Their  moans 

The  vales  redoubled  to  the  hills,  and  they 

To  heaven.     Their  martyred  blood  and  ashes  sow 


392  The  Waldensean  (Period. 

O'er  all  th'  Italian  fields  where  still  doth  sway 
The  tripled  tyrant,  that  from  these  may  grow 
A  hundred  fold,  who,  having  learned  thy  way, 
Early  may  fly  the  Babylonian  woe. 

King  Louis  XIV.  was  mainly  guilty  of  the  final  dread- 
ful slaughter  and  dispersion  of  the  Waldenses.  It  was 
the  French  Catholics  that  perpetrated  such  monstrous 
barbarities  upon  the  helpless  women  and  children  of  the 
Waldenses.  And  the  French  Emperor  has  indorsed  all 
these  cruelties  of  his  ancestors  by  supporting  the  Pope  on 
his  throne  by  his  army  at  Rome.  France,  as  a  Catholic 
country,  has  indorsed  all  the  outrages  perpetrated  against 
these  afflicted  servants  of  God.  And  as  God  has  declared 
that  he  will  avenge  his  elect  that  cry  unto  him  day  and 
night,  all  those  countries  which  have  taken  part  in  the 
persecution  of  the  "  martyrs  of  Jesus/^  may  expect,  in  the 
day  of  vengeance,  to  drink  blood;  for  they  "are  worthy." 
It  would  seem  that  the  dreadful  cup  of  vengeance  is  now 
being  pressed  to  the  lips  of  France.  As  we  are  now  pen- 
ning these  lines,  September,  1870,  the  news  comes  over  the 
wires  that  the  French  armies  are  defeated  in  battle  with 
dreadful  slaughter,  and  that  the  Emperor  Xapoleon  III. 
is  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  victorious  King  of  Prus- 
sia. The  cries  of  the  souls  of  the  martyrs  under  the  altar 
will  not  always  go  unheeded. 

We  have  found  that  the  ancient  Waldenses  possessed,  in 
an  eminent  degree,  the  Baptist  peculiarities.  And,  therefore, 
the  dreadful  slaughter  of  these  servants  of  God  was  really 
the  murder  of  the  ancient  Baptists,  who  were  called  Wal- 
denses. They  were  called  "Anabaptists*'  all  the  time 
during  this  long  period ;  and  they  were  called  Baptists 
and  WaldenseSj  interchangeably,  toward  the  close  of  this 


False   Churches.  393 


period.  Though  the  period  called  the  Waldensean  period 
closes  with  the  year  1686,  yet  the  people  who  were  called 
Waldenses  were  not  annihilated.  They  were  expelled 
from  their  ancient  valleys ;  but  this  only  scattered  them, 
as  the  good  seed,  among  all  the  countries  of  Europe,  from 
whence  they  appeared,  about  the  time  of  Luther,  under 
the  names  of  Baptists  and  Anabaptists,  eight  hundred  thous- 
and  strong.  It  will  be  seen  in  the  next  chapter,  that  the 
descendants  of  the  ancient  Waldenses  were  called  Baptists 
in  Germany  and  England. 


Section  III. — False  chueches  which  arose  dur- 
ing THIS   PERIOD. 

When  we  speak  of  false  churches,  we  do  not  design  to 
teach  that  there  are  no  children  of  God  in  these  false 
churches.  Baptists  are  pleased  to  admit  that  some  of 
God's  children  are  to  be  found,  more  or  less,  in  all  the 
kingdoms  and  societies  of  men  commonly  called  churches. 
Some  persons  say  that  Baptists  unchristianize  all  others, 
because  they  will  not  admit  that  the  societies  to  Avhich 
they  belong  are  true  churches.  It  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  the  Baptists  differ  from  all  others  in  the  fact  that 
they  hold  that  persons  must  be  saved,  or  prepared  for 
heaven,  before  they  are  qualified  to  enter  a  Church  of 
Christ.  Some  of  the  people  of  God  are  identified  with  the 
various  political  and  benevolent  societies ;  and  must  we 
admit  that  all  these  are  churches  of  Christ,  because  they 
have  converted  persons  in  them  ? 

Just  as  certainly  as  there  are  false  Christians  in  the 
world,  there  are  also  false  churches  in  the  world.  It  is  a 
sad  truth  that  th^re  are  many  false  Christians  connected 


394  The  Waldenseaii  (Period. 

with  true  churches,  and  many  real  saints  connected  with 
false  churches.  But  it  is  evident  that,  for  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  advancement  of  his  cause,  all  false  Christians 
should  be  separated  from  the  true  churches,  and  all  God's 
dear  children  should  forsake  false  churches,  and  become 
identified  with  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ. 

First:  The  Roman  Catholic  Church. — This  is  evi- 
dently a  false  church,  because  it  is  wholly  destitute  of  the 
peculiar  characteristics  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  I  find 
that  I  shall  only  have  space  to  name  a  few  leading  facts 
in  regard  to  these  false  churches.  It  is  but  just  to  admit 
that  the  Romish  Church  is  the  most  powerful  religious 
organization  that  has  ever  opposed  the  cause  of  God  in  the 
world ;  and  it  is  the  oldest  and  most  powerful  false  church 
on  earth.  Its  underlying  principles  of  legalism  had  com- 
menced their  work  of  moral  death  and  ruin  in  the  time 
of  the  apostles.  These  principles  were  developed  into 
baptismal  salvation,  infant  baptism,  and  the  hierarchy,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  third  century.  And  after  the  rejec- 
tion or  casting  out  of  the  corrupt  elements  by  the  true 
churches,  the  union  of  the  corrupt  church  with  the  state 
took  place  under  the  Emperor  Constantine  the  Great,  in 
the  year  A.  D.  312.  We  may  safely  locate  the  origin  of 
the  Catholic  Church  with  the  union  with  the  state  at  this 
time.  The  first  General  Council  was  that  of  Nice,  in  the 
year  325.  The  blasphemous  title  of  ^'  Universal  Bishop  ^' 
was  conferred  on  Boniface  III.,  Bishop 
DowUng^sm.of   ^^  ^^^^^^  ^^  ^j^^  Emperor  Phocas,  in  the 

''■'  ^*  year  A.  D.  606.     Thus  the  Bishop  of  Rome 

is  made  the  head  of  the  Catholic  Church  throughout  the 
world. 

But  it  was  not  until  the  year  756  that  the  Pope  became 


Church  of  (koine.  395 

a  temporal  sovereign.     King  Pepin,  of  France,  subdued 
the  Lombards,  and  delivered   the  places 

wrested  from  Aistulphus,  their  kin^,  to    ^w  ings     i^.oj 

^        \      ^  ^'         Bom.,  p.  16o. 

Pope  Stephen.     From  this  time  forward, 

the  popes  have  claimed  both  the  spiritual  and  the  tempo- 
ral sword.  The  universal  spiritual  dominion  came  from 
the  Emperor  Phocas,  who  was  a  usurper  and  murderer, 
and  the  temporal  kingdom  was  bestowed  on  the  Pope  by 
the  usurper  of  the  French  throne,  King  Pepin.  From  the 
year  756,  the  usurpations  of  the  popes  were  outrageous  in 
the  extreme.  The  Pope  finally  set  up  and  pulled  down 
kings  at  his  pleasure.  As  early  as  the  year  710,  the  Em- 
peror Justinian  showed  his  great  respect  for  Pope  Con- 
stantine  by  kissing  his  feet,  and  beseeching  his  "Holi- 
ness ^^  to  intercede  for  the  pardon  of  his  sins.  It  was  in 
the  year  1075  that  Pope  Gregory  VII.  excommunicated 
the  Emperor  Henry  IV.,  in  the  following  haughty  lan- 
guage :  "  '  In  the  name  of  Almighty  God, 
and  by  your  authority,'  said  Gregory,  al-  ^2^'''^'\f^''  '^ 
luding  to  the  members  of  the  council,  '  I 
prohibit  Henry,  the  sou  of  our  Emperor  Henry,  from  gov- 
erning the  Teutonic  Kingdom  and  Italy;  I  release  all 
Christians  from  their  oath  of  allegiance  to  him;  and  I 
strictly  forbid  all  persons  from  sei'ving  or  attending  him  as 
king  J '^  And  Henry  finally  submitted  himself  to  the 
haughty  Gregory  by  "  continuing  for  three  days,  in  the 
cold  month  of  January,  barefoot  and  fasting ;  the  humbled 
emperor  was  admitted  into  the  palace,  and  allowed  the 
superlative  honor  of  kissing  the  Pope^s  toeJ^  The  popes 
have  not  only  claimed  authority  in  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world,  by  exalting  themselves  above  kings  and  emperors, 
but  they  have  even  attempted  to  usurp  the  very  seat  and 


396  The  V/aldensean  (Period. 


throne  of  God  himself.     Instead  of  holding  that  Jesus  is 

the  Head  of  the  church,  the  popes  have  '^Inculcated  and 

acted  upon  the  pernicious  and  extravagant 

DowlbuJsHk.  of     ^^^^^  ,  r^^^^  ^^^  ^ISJIOP  or  EOME  IS 

Rom.,  p.  293.  ' 

THE  SUPREME  LORD   OF  THE  U NIVERSE, 


FUL  POWER  IN  Church  or  State  but  what  they  de- 
rive FROM  HIM.' ''  And  the  General  Council  at  Rome  has 
recently  indorsed  this  awful  blasphemy ~of  the  Pope  by  de- 
claring his  INFALLIBILITY.  Instead  of  holding  the  Word 
of  God  as  the  rule  of  action,  Rome  holds  tradition  and 
the  authority  of  the  Pope  as  her  rule  of  action.  Prof.  W. 
J.  Walters,  in  his  History  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
says :  "  The  Catholic  Church  maintains 
TJ  S  C  B       1  *2  there  are  doctrmes  oi  essential  import- 

ance not  contained  in  the  Scriptures ;  as, 
for  instance,  the  lawfulness  and  obligation  of  keeping  holy 
the  Sunday  instead  of  the  Saturday,  the  real  Scriptural 
Sabbath ;  the  validity  of  infant  baptism,''  etc.  This  learned 
Catholic  historian  admits  that  the  Romish  Church  holds 
traditions,  such  as  infant  baptism,  which  are  not  in  the 
Bible.  Catholics,  in  this  respect,  are  more  candid  than 
Protestants ;  for,  while  Protestants  pervert  the  Scriptures 
to  try  to  sustain  the  infant  rite,  the  Catholics  admit  that 
't  is  only  a  Romish  tradition.  And  in  their  controversies 
vith  Protestants,  the  Catholics  press  on  them  the  fact  that 
they  have  only  copied  infant  baptism  as  a  tradition  from 
Rome.  In  the  celebrated  discussion  between  Mr.  Pope, 
an  Episcopalian,  and  Mr.  Maguire,  a  Catholic  priest,  Mr. 

_  Maffuire  says  :  "  I  called  on  my  opponent  to 

Debate,  1^.164:.  "]  ''  e     •   .  .1      •  • 

produce  proois  trom  bcripture,  authorizing 


Church  of  (kome.  397 


the  baptism  of  infants/'  But  Mr.  Pope  was  unable  to  do 
this.  And  as  to  the  Bible  order,  the  Catholic  Church 
claims  a  perfect  right  to  change  laws  and  customs,  and, 
therefore,  she  does  not  pretend  to  hold  the  Bible  order  of 
the  commandments.  And  in  regard  to  the  burial  in  bap- 
tism, the  learned  Catholics  admit  that  immersion  was  the 
primitive  apostolic  practice ;  therefore  they  are,  by  their 
own  admissions,  destitute  of  this  mark  of  the  true  church. 
It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  doctrine  of  baptismal 
salvation  is  peculiarly  Catholic  doctrine.     Prof.  Walters, 

their  historian,  says :   ^^  Catholics  believe 

,1,1,1  ^    -c  1       -I.'  Reliqious  Denom., 

that,  by  the  sacrament  oi  baptism,  men  are  rr  o v>  ^        -,  a^ 

cleansed  irom  sm,  as  well  original  as  ac- 
tual, and  made  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  adopted 
children  of  God,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom   of  heaven.' 
And  the  Council  of  Trent  says :  "  AVho- 

ever  shall  affirm  that  baptism  is  indiifer-     '^^^^*,   ^^\^n^' 
^  .  of  Trent,  p.  129. 

ent — that  is,  not  necessary  to  salvation — 

let  him  be  accursed.''     And  the  Catholic  catechism  affirms 

that:  "^The  law  of  baptism,  as  established 

by  our  Lord,  extends  to  all,  insomuch  that, 

unless  they  are  regenerated  by  the  grace  of  baptism,  be 

their  parents  Christians  or  infidels,  they  are  born  to  eternal 

misery  and  everlasting  destruction;'  Catechism,  p.  171." 

Rome  maybe  considered  the  "mother"  of  all  churches 

which  hold  this  popish  view  of  baptism.  Again,  the  Council 

ofTrentsays:  "Whoever  shall  affirm  that  the     ,  ., 

,         .  ,.    1  p  ,         .         .       Ibid.  p.  129. 

true  doctrine  oi  the  sacrament  oi  baptism  is 

not  in  the  Roman  Church,  which  is  the  mother  and  mis- 
tress of  all  churches :  let  him  be  accursed."  And  we  have 
already  seen  that  there  is  no  equality  in  the  Church  of 
Rome.     The  popes,  cardinals,  bishops,  and  priests,  have 


398  The   Waldensean  (Period. 

seized  the  reins  of  authority  over  the  poor  spiritual  slaves 
of  the  church.  And  as  to  their  Supper^  they  have  made 
a  God  of  it,  and  they  worship  that  God  made  by  the  hands 
of  the  priests.  They  suppose  that  the  bread  is  literally  the 
flesh,  blood,  and  bones  of  Jesus.  They  worship  the  bread 
and  eat  it  as  a  means  of  salvation.  Rome  has  instituted 
her  seven  sacraments,  all  of  which  are  unauthorized  in 
the  Bible.  And,  in  the  last  place,  as  to  the  mark  of  be- 
ing persecuted,  Rome  has  been  the  great  persecuting  poAver. 
She  has  been  drunk  with  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus 
for  hundreds  of  years.  She  lias  never  been  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake.  Some  of  her  own  sons  have  rebelled 
against  her  and  slain  some  of  her  adherents ;  but  this  is 
only  the  foretaste  of  the  vengeance  that  will  be  poured  out 
on  her  in  the  day  of  her  destruction. 

It  is  a  settled  principle  with  the  Church  of  Rome  to 
persecute,  and  to  extend  her  doctrines  by  fire  and  sword. 
At  the  present  time,  it  will  be  impossible  to  give  an  accu- 
rate estimate  of  the  numbers  murdered  by  the  Catholic 

emissaries.  Mr.  Dowling  says:  "From 
^oit  ing  s^    IS.  oj    ^^^^  birth  of  popery,  in  606,  to  the  present 

time,  it  is  estimated,  by  careful  and  cred- 
ible historians,  that  more  than  fifty  millions  of  the 
human  family  have  been  slaughtered  for  the  crime  of 
heresy  by  popish  persecutors — an  average  of  more  than 
forty  thousand  religious  murders  for  every  year  of  the 
existence  of  popery.''     And  Mr.  Dowling  quotes  Scott's 

Church  History,  as  follows  :  "  No  compu- 
Dowling's  His.of    ...  "  \     •\  x.  i       i, 

r,  K«o  tation  can  reach  the  numbers  who  nave 

Rom.,  p.  542. 

been  put  to  death,  in  different  ways,  on 
account  of  their  maintaining  the  profession  of  the  Gospel, 
and  opposing  the  corruptions  of  the  Church  of  Rome.     A 


The  Lutheran  Church.  399 

MILLION  of  poor  Waldenses  perished  in  France ;  nine 
HUNDRED  THOUSAND  ortliodox  Christians  were  slain  in 
less  than  thirty  years  after  the  institution  of  the  order 
of  Jesuits.  The  Duke  of  Alva  boasted  of  having  put  to 
death,  in  the  Netherlands,  thirty-six  thousand,  by  the 
hand  of  the  common  executioner,  during  the  space  of  a  few 
years.     The  Inquisition  destroyed,  by  various  tortures, 

ONE     HUNDRED     AND     FIFTY    THOUSAND    within    thirty 

years.  These  are  a  few  specimens,  and  but  a  few,  of  those 
which  history  has  recorded;  but  the  total  amount  will 
never  be  known  till  the  earth  shall  disclose  her  blood,  and 
no  more  cover  her  slain. ^^ 

The  half  has  not  been  told.  Kome  has  taxed  her  in- 
genuity in  the  invention  of  instruments  of  torture,  to 
cause,  if  possible,  the  martyrs  to  blaspheme.  The  gloomy 
prisons  of  the  Inquisition  w^ere  frightful  beyond  concep- 
tion. And  besides  all  the  murders  committed  by  the 
instigation  of  Rome,  the  admitted  profligacy  of  the  popes, 
bishops,  and  priests,  is  too  disgraceful  to  mention.  Even 
many  of  the  ancient  nunneries  were  sinks  of  pollution. 
And  after  all  the  known  enormities  of  papal  Rome,  we  are 
told  that  she  is  the  Church  of  God  visible.  There  can 
be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
is  a  false  church.  Her  rise  was  gradual,  and  her  decline 
has  been  the  same  way;  but  at  last  she  will  be  destroyed 
with  violence,  as  when  a  mighty  mill-stone  is  cast  into 
the  sea. 

Second:  The  Lutheran  Church.  This  Protestant 
church  owes  its  existence  to  Doctor  Ilartin  Luther,  who 
was  reared  in  the  bosom  of  Rome,  and  became  a  supersti- 
tious 'monk.  Luther  Avas  a  man  of  energy  and  learning. 
He  boldly  assailed  some  of  the  most  absurd  features  of  the 


400  The   Waldensean  (Period. 

Romish  despotism,  about  the  year  1520;  and  in  1524  he 
threw  off  the  "  monastic  dress/^  and  married  a  nun.  It  is 
usually  stated  that  the  Lutheran  Church  began  in  1525. 
It  was  in  the  year  1529  that  the  Reformers  entered  their 
protest  against  the  action  of  the  German  Diet  of  Spires. 
*^  Hence  arose  the  name  of  Protestant/'  by  which  the  Re- 
formers have  since  been  known.  Martin  Luther  may 
very  properly  be  styled  the  founder  and  head  of  this 
church.  As  an  organization,  it  did  not  have  tTesus  as  its 
founder  and  head.  And  instead  of  taking  the  Bible  as 
their  rule  of  conduct,  the  Lutherans  are  governed  by  the 
"Augsburg  Confession/^  with  the  various  additions  in  the 
way  of  articles,  catechisms,  etc.  They  have  failed  to  ob- 
serve the  order  of  the  commandments;  for  they  put  what 
they  term  baptism  before  faith,  in  the  case  of  infants,  and 
do  not  bury  in  baptism  at  all.  Luther  retained  many  of 
the  superstitions  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  He  taught 
"That  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  are 
e  igious     ^^^wi.,  j^(3^^r|^|iy  pi-esent,  under  the  form  or  em- 

blems  ot  bread  and  Avme,  as  dispensed  to 
the  communicants.^^ — Art.  10,  Augsburg  Confession. 

This  was  called  con-substantiation.  And,  notwithstand- 
ing Luther  preached  "justification  by  faith  alone,"  yet  he 
nullified  this  doctrine  by  teaching  baptism  for  salvation. 
We  have  the  following  statements  of  Luther,  on  the  efficacy 
of  baptism,  as  given  by  Elder  T.  W.  Haynes,  editor  of 

the  Carolina  Baptist :  "  Luther,  in  his  pre- 
'  Carolina  Baptut    ^  ^j     -^  .^.j     ^^  ^^^^  Galatians,  page 

vo^.  Z  1845,  p.  29.  ^  -,     ,    1         T,  . 

24,  hurls  his  thunderbolts  alike  against 

Christ  and  Antichrist,  the  Baptists  and  Papists :  '  For  at 
this  day  the  Papists  and  Anabaptists  conspire  together 
against  the  church  in  this  one  point  (though  they  dissem- 


TJi3  LtdJieraii  Church.  401 

ble  in  words),  that  the  work  of  God  dependeth  upon  the 
Avorthiness  of  the  person.  For  thus  do  the  Anabaptists 
teach  that  baptism  is  nothing,  except  the  person  do  believe/ 
*  *  ^  '  Wlio  seeth  not  here  in  the  Anabaptists  men  not 
possessed  with  devils,  but  even  devils  themselves  possessed 
with  worse  devils,^  (page  24).  AVhat  Baptist  does  not 
recognize  as  an  article  of  his  faith,  the  doctrine,  ^  that  bap- 
tism is  nothing y  except  the  person  do  believe  f '  Now,  whether 
the  Scripture  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone  be 
not  uprooted  by  Luther  himself,  is  submitted  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  candid.  In  his  Commentary  on  Gala- 
tians  3:  27,  Luther  says:  ^And  here  also  he  (Paul)  saith, 
that  all  they  who  have  been  baptized  have  put  on  Christ. 
As  if  he  had  said,  ye  are  carried  out  of  the  law  by  a  new 
birth  which  is  wrought  i7i  baptism.  Therefore,  ye  are  not 
now  any  longer  under  the  law,  but  ye  are  clothed  in  a  new 
garment — namely,  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  Wherefore 
baptism  is  a  thing  of  great  force  and  efficacy,^  (vide  in  loco). 
Of  how  great  force  and  efficacy,  may  be  learned  from  his 
Catechism,  as  published  by  the  Lutheran  (Tennessee) 
Synod,  page  3.  ^  Secondly :  What  does  baptism  confer  or 
benefit?  Ans. — It  effects  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  delivers 
from  death  and  the  devil,  and  confers  everlasting  salvation 
upon  all  who  believe  it,  as  the  words  and  promises  of  God 
declare.^  As  also  from  the  Augsburg  Confession  (article  9, 
of  Baptism),  ^concerning  baptism,  they  teach  that  it  is 
necessary  to  salvation,  and  that  in  baptism  the  grace  of 
God  is  offered,  and  that  children  are  to  be  baptized,  who, 
being  offered  unto  God  in  baptism,  are  to  be  received  into 
the  favor  of  God.  They  condemn  the  Anabaptists,  who 
prohibit  the  baptism  of  children,  and  affirm  that  children 
can  be  saved  without  baptism."^     This  important  quota- 


402  TJie   Waldensean  Period. 


tion  shows  that  Luther,  the  father  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
not  only  inherited  the  Komish  dogma  of  baptismal  salva- 
tion, but  he  also  inherited  the  Romish  spirit  of  persecution. 
He  affirmed  that  baptism  is  necessary  to  the  salvation  of  in- 
fants; and  Luther,  with  the  rest  of  the  Augsburgers,  con-, 
demned  the  unfortunate  Baptists  because  they  affirmed  that 
^^  children  can  be  saved  without  baptism.'^  And  Luther's 
condemnation  of  the  Baptists  for  the  terrible  crime  of  de- 
nying infant  baptism,  was  so  strong  that  he  calls  them 
^^  devils  themselves,  possessed  with  worse  devils J^  Thus  we 
find  that  the  Lutheran  Church  retained  the  leading  feature 
of  Antichrist.  And  instead  of  holding  religious  equality 
in  the  government  of  the  church,  they  are  governed  by  a 
kind  of  spiritual  aristocracy.  And  though  they  made  war 
with  their  old  Mother  Rome,  yet  they  combined  with  her 
to  persecute  the  hated  Baptists.  They  are  not  the  church 
that  has  borne  persecution  through  the  dark  ages  for  the 
sake  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  Lutheran  Church  is  the  first- 
born, m  modern  times,  of  the  old  mother  of  "abomina- 
tions.'^ Her  founder,  Luther,  had  his  baby  baptism,  and 
ordination  in  Rome.  The  Catholics  pressed  the  Protest- 
ants sorely  with  this  difficutly.  In  their  embarrassment 
they  admitted  that  the  Church  of  Rome  was  the  true  church 
of  Christ  visible,  at  least  till  after  the  coming  out  of  the 
Protestant  churches.  But  if  she  was  the  Church  of  Christ, 
or  temple  of  God,  through  all  the  dark  ages,  while  riding 
the  scarlet  beast  and  drunk  with  the  blood  of  the  martyrs, 
certainly  she  must  be  the  true  church  till  now.  She  has 
become  no  worse  after  the  Reformation  than  before.  On 
this  point  Luther  says,  as  reported  by  Mr.  Haynes,  that: 
"Wherefore,  wheresoever  the  substance  of  the  word  and 
sacraments  remaineth,  there  is  the  holy  church,  although 


The  LutJieran  Chtirch.  403 

Antichrist  there  reign,  who  (as  the  Scripture  witnesseth) 
sitteth  not  in  a  stable  of  fiends,  or  in  a  swine  sty,  or  in  a 
conq^any  of  infidels,  but  in  the  highest  and  holiest  place 
of  all — namely,  Mn  the  temple  of  God,'  2  Thess.  2:  4. 
^  Wherefore,  although  spiritual  tyrants  reign,  yet  there 
must  be  a  temple  of  God,  and  the  same  must  be  preserved 
under  them.  Therefore,  I  answer  briefly  to  this  question, 
that  the  church  is  universal  throughout  the  whole  world,  and 
wheresoever  the  Gospel  of  God  and  the  sacraments  are/ '' 
This  was  Luther's  answer  to  the  question  :  "  Where  w^as 
Protestant  religion  antecedent  to  Luther?'' 

Thus  the  renowned  Luther  is  driven  to  the  painful 
necessity  of  taking  the  position  that  the  Koraish  Church 
was  the  temple  of  God  under  the  reign  of  "spiritual 
tyrants."  This  comment  of  Luther  is  found  in  his  Com- 
mentary on  Galatians  1:2:  "Unto  the  churches  of  Gala- 
tia."  But  if  Eome  w^as  the  church  universal  and  the 
"temj^le  of  God,"  then  Luther  and  all  the  "Protestants" 
were  cast  out  of  the  temple  of  God  when  they  were  ex- 
cluded from  the  Catholics;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if 
Rome  is  the  "great  whore"  of  Babylon,  as  the  Protestants 
affirm,  then  the  Protestant  churches  are  false  churches, 
having  emanated  from  Antichrist.  "  Who  can  bring  a 
clean  thing  out  of  an  unclean  ?"  Let  the  Protestants  take 
either  horn  of  the  dilemma,  and  they  are  pushed  to  the 
wall.  As  a  daughter  of  the  old  bloody  " mothei^^'  the 
Jjutheran  Church  began  her  career  by  taking  the  car- 
nal sword  to  convert  men  to  the  religion  of  Jesus  by 
killing  them  !  She  also  took  part  with  her  bloody  mother 
in  shedding  the  blood  of  Baptists.  And  this  same  Lutheran 
Church  has  entered  into  marriage  with  the  state  in  every 
land  where  she  has  had  the  opportunity.     The  Lutheran 


404  Ike  Waldensean  d^eriod. 

Church  can  no  more  be  the  Church  of  Christ  visible  th?n 
old  Eome  can  be  that  church. 

Third:  The  Episcopal  Church  originated  as  early  as 
the  year  1530,  when  Henry  YIII.,  King  of  England, 
rebelled  against  the  Pope.  Henry's  rupture  with  the 
Pope  grew  out  of  the  Pope's  refusal  to  divorce  the  king 
from  his  wife,  Catharine,  to  marry  Anne  Boleyn.  Tlie 
king  divorced  liimseif,  and  married  the  maid  of  honor  to 
his  former  wife;  and  in  the  year  1530,  he  forced  the 
Catholic  clergy  to  proclaim  himself  as  the  '^  supreme  head 
of  the  Church  of  England^  But  it  was  not  till  1534  that 
the  British  parliament  confirmed  the  adulterous  king  in 
his  headship  of  the  church.  Of  the  Church  of  England, 
Mr.  Orchard  says :  "  The  daughter  of  Rome  was  born  in 
England,  1530,  when  Wareham,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, and  the  clergy  of  his  diocese,  in  synod,  declared 
Henry  YIII.  the  putative  parent  of  the  English  harlot, 
and  the  same  was  legally  afiiliated  to  him  in  1534.'' 
And  down  to  the  present  time,  the  kings  and  queens  of 
England  are  regarded  as  the  head  of  the  church.  This 
church  has  none  of  the  marks  of  a  true  church.  It, 
like  its  founder,  was  polluted  with  adultery  and  mur- 
der; for  it  was  a  state  church  from  the  beginning,  and 
lias  engaged  in  the  persecution  of  the  Baptists  by  impris- 
onments and  burning.  This  church,  like  the  Lutheran, 
was  only  a  part  of  the  Romish  Antichrist  broken  off,  and 
she  retained  all  the  leading  features  of  Antichrist.  She 
inherited  from  her  mother  the  doctrine  of  baptismal  sal- 
vation.    In  the  Episcopal  Prayer  Book,  we  have  the  fol- 

Boo]:  of  Common  ^^.^^'^"S  ^'^  ^  P^^'^  ^^  ^^^^  s^i^^ice  connected 
Prayer,  pp.180,  with  the  baptism  of  infants:  '^Then  shall 
181.  the  minister  speak  unto  the  god-fathers  and 


The  Episcopal  Church.  _  405 

god-mothers  on  this  wise:  Dearly  beloved,  ye  have  brought 
this  child  here  to  be  baptized ;  ye  have  prayed  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  would  vouchsafe  to  receive  him,  to  re- 
lease him  from  sin,  to  sanctify  him  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
to  give  him  the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  everlasting  life. 
Ye  have  heard  also  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath 
promised,  in  his  Gospel,  to  grant  all  these  things  that  ye 
have  prayed  for;  which  promise  he,  for  his  part,  will  most 
surely  keep  and  perform.  Therefore,  after  this  promise 
made  by  Christ,  this  infant  must  also  faithfully,  for  his 
part,  promise  by  you  that  are  his  sureties  (until  he  come 
of  age  to  take  it  upon  himself)  that  he  will  renounce  the 
devil  and  all  his  works,  and  constantly  believe  God's  holy 
AYord,  and  obediently  keep  his  commandments. 

The  minister  shall  then  demand  of  the  sponsors  as  fol- 
lows;  the  questions  to  be  considered  as  addressed  to  them 
severally,  and  the  answers  to  be  made  accordingly :  I  de- 
mand, therefore.  Dost  thou,  in  the  name  of  this  child, 
renounce  the  devil  and  all  his  Avorks,  the  vain  pomp  and 
glory  of  the  world,  with  all  covetous  desires  of  the  same, 
and  the  sinful  desires  of  the  flesh ;  so  that  thou  wilt  not 
follow  nor  be  led  by  them?  Ans. — I  renounce  them  all; 
and,  by  God's  help,  will  endeavor  not  to  follow  nor  be 
led  by  them,  il/mis.— Dost  thou  believe  all  the  articles 
of  the  Christian  Faith,  as  contained  in  the  Apostles' 
Creed  ?  Ans. — I  do.  Minis. — Wilt  thou  be  baptized  in 
this  faith?  Ans. — That  is  my  desire.  Minis. — Wilt  thou, 
then,  obediently  keep  God's  holy  will  and  commandments, 
and  walk  in  the  same  all  the  days  of  thy  life?  Ans. — I 
will,  by  God's  help. 

Then  shall  the  minister  say,  O  Merciful  God, 
grant    that    the   old   Adam    in    this    child   may   be   so 


406  The  Waldensean  (Period. 

buried,  that  the  new   man    may  be   raised  up  in   him. 

Amen. 

Grant  that  all  sinful  affections  may  die  in  him,  and  that 

all  things  belonging  to  the  Spirit  may  live  and  grow  in 

him.    Amen,'^  etc.    And  after  the  baptism  of  the  child,  the 

minister  is  requested  to  say:  "We  yield 

00 .    07/1.     )  ay-    ^Y\Qe,  hearty  thanks,  most  merciful  Father, 
er,  p.  182.  .         "  . 

that  it  hath  pleased  thee  to  regenerate  this 

infant  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  receive  him  for  thine  own 
childj  by  adoption,  and  to  incorporate  him  into  thy  holy 
church,'^  etc.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  entire  bap- 
tismal service,  where  he  will  see  that  the  English  Church 
has  fully  copied  the  Romish  doctrine  of  baptismal  salva- 
tion. They  pray  for  the  release  of  the  infant  from  sin ; 
that  the  old  Adam  may  die  in  him,  and  that  he  may  be 
delivered  from  the  power  of  the  Devil  in  baptism ;  and 
after  baptism  they  thank  God  that  the  infant  is  "  regener- 
ated "  and  a  child  of  God. 

The  same  God-dishonoring  doctrine  of  baptismal  salva- 
tion is  also  taught  in  the  catechism  for  children.     Here  it 

^      ,.  „     is:"Q. — Who  gave  you  this  name?    A. — 

Catechism,   p.  7.     ,,  .      ,         .  ,         .      ^ 

My  sponsors  m  baptism  :  wherein  i  was 

made  a  member  of  Christ,  the  child  of  God,  and  an  inher- 
itor of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. ^^  Again  :  "  Q. — How  is  the 
child  made  a  member  of  Christ.  A. — It  is  made  a  member 
of  his  church.  Q. — How  is  it  made  a  child  of  God  f  A. — 
It  is  taken  into  God's  family.  Q. — What  was  it  before 
this.  A. — Born  in  sin,  a  child  of  wrath."  And  once  more  : 
**  Q. — What  is  it  you  thank  God,  your  heavenly  Father,  for, 
when  you  thank  him  that  he  has  called  you  to  this  state 
of  salvation  ?  A. — I  thank  him  that  in  baptism  he  hag 
made  me  a  member  of  Christ,  the  child  of  God,  and  an 


The  Episcopal  Clmrch.  407 

inheritor  of  heaven.'^  Such  are  the  fatal  dehisions  im- 
posed on  the  poor  children  that  are  led  by  these  blind 
guides.  It  is  altogether  out  of  the  question  to  suppose 
that  this  church  is  a  church  of  Jesus  Christ.  Some,  who 
ought  to  know  better,  regard  the  Episcopal  Church  as 
'*  evangelical  '^ ! 

Fourth:  The  Presbyter ian  Church  Avas  established  in 
the  year  1541  by  John  Calvin,  a  learned  French  Catho- 
lic, who  repudiated  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  and  es- 
tablished himself  at  Geneva,  in  Switzerland,  as  the  head 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  This  church,  like  the  others, 
has  a  human  founder  and  head ;  it  is  governed  by  the 
Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  ;  it  does  not  observe  the 
Bible  order  of  the  commands,  for  it  puts  "  baptism  '^  before 
repentance  and  faith;  it  does  not  bury  in  baptism;  it  has 
a  hierarchy  for  a  church  government,  in  Avhich  one  member 
is  placed  in  authority  above  another;  it  does  not  confine 
its  communion  to  the  regenerate,  and  it  has  bitterly  perse- 
cuted the  Baptists  for  the  sake  of  conscience.  This  church 
holds  baptismal  salvation  in  more  modified  terms  than  the 
older  churches  of  the  Reformation.  In  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  Larger  Catechism,  Question  165  : 
"  What  is  baptism  f  A. — Baptism  is  a  sac-  ^oqT^'  ^^  ^' 
rament  of  the  New  Testament,  wherein 
Christ  hath  ordained  the  washing  with  water,  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
to  be  a  sign  and  seal  of  ingrafting  into  himself,  of  remis- 
sion of  sins  by  his  blood,  and  regeneration  by  the  Spirit ; 
of  adoption  and  resurrection  unto  everlasting  life ;  and 
whereby  the  parties  baptized  are  solemnly  admitted  into 
the  visible  church,  and  enter  into  an  open  and  professed 
engagement  to  be  wholly  and  only  the  Lord's.'^     Again, 


408  TJie  Waldensean  Period. 

in  answer  to  question  177,  we  have  the  following :  ^^  The 
sacraments    of   baptism    and    the    Lord's 

so?  ^^  ^'    Supper  differ,  in  that,  baptism  is  to  be  ad- 

ministered but  once,  with  water,  to  be  a 
sign  and  seal  of  our  regeneration  and  ingrafting  into  Christ, 
and  that  even  to  infants ;  whereas  the  Lord's  Supper  is  to 
be  administered  often,"  etc.  Thus,  according  to  Presby- 
terianism,  baptism  is  a  ^'seal^^  of  ingrafting  into  Christ, 
of  remission  of  sins,  regeneration,  adojAion,  the  resurrec- 
tion and  eternal  life,  and  this  even  to  infants.  But  if 
baptism  is  a  seal  of  all  these  blessings,  and  of  the  cov- 
enant of  grace,  it  is  necessary  to  salvation. 

We  now  conclude  this  chapter,  remarking  however, 
first,  that  various  branches  have  gone  out  from  these  three 
leading  Protestant  churches,  which  originated  in  the  six- 
teenth century.  And,  beside  all  the  other  disqualifica- 
tions, these  churches  Avant  about  fifteen  hundred  years 
of  being  old  enough  to  claim  to  be  the  church  that  Jesus 
Christ  established ;  they  all  came  out  of  the  Church  of 
Rome ;  their  ordinances  came  from  Antichrist ;  they  have 
all  persecuted  the  Baptists  for  the  sake  of  conscience,  and 
they  are  all  state  churches,  in  every  land  where  it  is  pos- 
sible for  them  to  establish  themselves.  And,  while  many 
good  men  belong  to  these  churches,  we  must  conclude  that 
they  are  not  the  churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


(Baptist  Succession.  409 


CHAPTER    XYIII. 

MODERN  BAPTIST  PERIOD— ABOUT  THREE  HUNDRED 
AND  FIFTY  YEARS. 

1.  Peculiaeities  applied  to  the  Modern  Baptists. 

2.  DlSTI^S'CTIOX    BETWEEN    THE    AnCIENT    AND    MODEEN    MeN- 

NONITES. 

Section  I.  —  Peculiarities  applied  to  the  mod- 
ern   BAPTISTS. 

This  application  has  already  been  made  more  especially 
to  the  American  Baptists.  Of  course,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  prove  that  the  Baptists  possess  the  Baptist  peculiarities ; 
but  I  design  mainly  in  this  section  to  develop  the  seventh 
peculiarity,  which  has  reference  to  the  persecutions  of  the 
true  churches  in  Germany  and  England.  Mosheim,  the  his- 
torian, testifies  that  the  Baptists,  or  Anabaptists,  as  he  calls 
them,  of  his  times,  claimed  the  Bible  as  their  only  rule  of 
faith  and  conduct  in  matters  of  religion.  But  it  is  so 
generally  admitted,  by  friends  and  foes,  that  Baptists  claim 
no  founder  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  no  standard  of  faith  but 
the  Bible,  that  it  is  useless  to  multiply  authorities  on  these 
points.  It  has  been  observed  that  the  different  periods  lap 
on  each  other,  or,  in  other  words,  the  modern  Baptists  ex- 
isted in  various  countries,  under  this  name,  before  the  close 
of  the  Waldensean  period.  The  same  class  of  people  were, 
at  the  same  time,  called  Waldenses  in  the  valleys,  and  Bap- 
tists or  Anabaptists  in  other  countries.  Our  enemies  apply 
the  name  Anabaptists  to  us  even  to  the  present  time.     All 


410  Modern  (Baptist  (Period, 

Baptists  hold  immersion  as  the  only  Scriptural  action  of 
baptism. 

The  Catholics  fell  into  the  practice  of  trine  immersion, 
or,  rather,  three  immersions,  for  baptism ;  but  Baptists,  by 
whatever  name  called,  have  ever  held  the  apostolic  practice 
of  "one  baptism."  Catholics  also  practiced  nude  baptism 
in  their  early  history.  Some  modern  Pedobaptists  have 
been  so  silly  as  to  reproach  Baptists  on  account  of  the 
" naked "  baptisms  of  the  Catholics;  but  they  only  exposed 
the  nakedness  of  their  own  "mother"  church.  The  Cath- 
olics practice  the  "  baptism"  of  abortives.  In  their  pious  zeal 
to  save  infants  from  hell,  the  E-omish  Church  gives  "  bap- 
tism "  to  unborn  infants,  in  cases  where  death  is  expected. 
This  is  the  present  custom  in  this  country.  But  it  is 
unnecessary  to  reproach  all  Pedobaptists  wdth  such  abomi- 
nations— though  this  is  as  Scriptural  as  any  other  baby 
baptism.  Baptists  neither  baptize  infants  nor  adults 
without  the  profession  of  repentance,  faith,  and  regenera- 
tion, on  the  part  of  the  candidate. 

Luther  anathematized  the  Baptists  of  his  times  because 
they  taught  thai  infants  could  be  saved  without  baptism. 
Zuingle,  the  co-reformer  with  Luther  and  Calvin,  had 
several  public  debates  with  the  Baptists,  at  Zurich,  in  1525, 
on  infant  baptism.  The  Zuinglians  claimed  the  victory, 
and  proceeded  to  put  the  Baptists  in  prison.  The  ruling 
magistrates  of  the  city  give  the  following  hard  report  of 
these  Baptists,  as  reported  in  the  Martyrology : 

"  ^  Ye  doubtless  know,  and  have  heard  from  many  per- 

,.    ,      ,  ^   sons,  how  that  for  a  lono;  time  past  certain 

Martyrology,  ^."d.  '  ^     i       i  i    i 

men,  w4io  appear  to  be  learned,  have  ve- 
hemently arisen,  and,  without  any  support  from'^the  Holy 
Scriptures,  have  pretended,  and  preached  among  simj)le 


(Baptists  against  (Baptismal  Salvation.     411 

and  pious  men  (who  are  otherwise  well  instructed  in  the 
love  of  God  and  of  their  neighbor,  and  live  in  peace  with 
one  another^)  and  without  the  permission  and  consent  of 
the  church  have  proclaimed,  that  infant  baptism  is  not  of 
God,  but  has  sprung  from  the  Devil,  and,  therefore,  ought 
not  to  be  practiced.  They  have  also  invented  a  re-baptism ; 
and  many  men,  unlearned  in  the  holy  Scripture,  taken  wi*ch 
their  vain  talk  and  so  far  persuaded,  have  received  this 
re-baptism,  esteeming  themselves  better  than  other"  people. 
Whence  have  arisen  and  grown  up  discord,  disobedience, 
contention,  devourings,  strifes  against  love,  in  places  and 
among  men  who  formerly  lived  in  unanimity.  Therefore 
have  we  imprisoned,  and  punished  for  their  good,  some  of 
the  authors  of  Anabaptism  and  their  disciples,  and  have 
twice,  at  their  desire,  ordained  conferences,  or  disputations, 
on  infant  and  re-baptism.^' 

According  to  this  representation,  these  Baptists  regarded 
infant  baptism  as  the  invention  of  the  "Devil'';  and  no 
wonder;  for  their  ancestors  had  been  slain  by  multitudes 
for  rejecting  the  infant  ceremony,  and  German  Baptists 
were  constantly  imprisoned  and  punished  for  the  same  of- 
fense. And  after  all  the  victories  gained  over  the  de- 
spised Anabaptists  in  the  public  disputes,  these  enemies 
admit  that  "many  men ''" received  this  re-baptism";  and 
the  Baptists  were  still  ready  for  other  public  controversies. 
And  if  the  Pedobaptists  were  so  successful  as  they  pre- 
tended, why  w^as  it  necessary  to  imprison  and  punish  the 
Baptists?  These  persecutions  were  from  Protestants. 
These  martyr  Baptists  were  not  in  favor  of  baptismal  sal- 
vation. This  is  seen  in  the  charges  against  George  Wag- 
ner, who  was  burned  by  the  Catholics  in  1527.  We  have 
the  following  account  of  the  martyrdom  of  this  Baptist : 


412  Modern  (Baptist  (Period. 


"  George  Wagner^  of  Emmerick,  was  apprehended  at 
Munich,  in  Bavaria,  on  account  of  four  articles  of  faith. 
First,  that  the  priests  can  (not)  forgive  men  their  sins. 

Secondly,  he  does  not  believe  that  a  man  can 
1^1^^^  o^y,  pp.    j^j,^^^g  Q.Q^I  fj,Qi-^-^  heaven.     Thirdly,  he  does 

not  believe  that  God,  or  Christ,  is  bodily 
in  the  bread  that  the  priests  place  upon  the  altar;  but 
that  it  is  the  bread  of  the  Lord.  Fourthly,  he  holds  not 
the  belief  that  the  baptism  of  water  saves  men.  For  these 
articles,  because  he  would  not  retract  them,  was  he  put  to 
great  torture,  so  that  the  prince  had  great  compassion  on 
him,  visited  him  in  person  in  prison,  and  earnestly  ex- 
horted him,  saying  that  he  would  call  him  his  friend  dur- 
ing his  life.  In  like  manner,  the  steward  of  the  prince's 
household  persuaded  him  to  recant,  and  made  him  many 
promises.  Finally,  his  wife  and  child  were  brought  into 
the  prison  and  placed  before  him,  to  move  him  thereby  to 
a  recantation.  He  suffered  not  himself  to  be  moved,  but 
said,  that  though  his  wdfe  and  child  were  indeed  so  dear 
to  him,  that  the  prince  with  his  whole  land  could  not  pur- 
chase them  from  him,  yet,  nevertheless,  he  Avould  not  for- 
sake the  Lord  his  God.  Many  priests,  and  others  like- 
wise, came  to  him,  to  persuade  him;  but  he  was  firm  and 
immovable  in  what  God  had  given  him  to  know.  He  was 
finally  condemned  to  the  flames  and  to  death.  When  he 
was  delivered  over  to  the  executioner,  and  led  into  the 
middle  of  the  city,  he  said,  'This  day  will  I  confess  my 
God  to  the  glory  of  Christ  Jesus,  that  such  happiness  is 
afforded  me  in  the  sight  of  all  the  world.'  His  face  was 
not  pale,  nor  were  his  eyes  distorted.  With  a  smile  play- 
ing on  his  lips  he  went  to  the  fire,  where  the  executioner 
bound  him  to  the  ladder,  and  hung  a  bag  of  gunpowder 


lists  Persecuted.  413 


to  his  neck;  to  whom  he  said,  ^Be  it  thus  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost/  And 
when  he  had,  with  a  smiling  countenance,  taken  leave  of  a 
Christian  brother,  he  was  thrust  into  the  fire  by  the  exe- 
cutioner, and  blessedly  offered  up  his  spirit  the  8th  day  of 
February,  in  the  year  1527.  But  the  sheriff,  surnamed 
der  Eisen  Reich  of  Landsberg,  intending  and  wishing, 
while  riding  home  from  the  fire,  to  seize  others,  compan- 
ions of  his  faith,  died  suddenly  in  the  night.  He  was  in 
the  morning  found  dead  in  his  bed,  and  was  thus  snatched 
away  by  the  wrath  of  God.'^ 

It  will  be  noted  that  Wagner,  among  other  things,  was 
burned  to  death  for  holding  '^  not  the  belief  that  the  bap- 
tism of  water  saves  men.''  Luther  condemned  the  Bap- 
tists as  "  devils  possessed  with  worse  devils,''  for  rejecting 
baptismal  salvation ;  and  Catholics  burned  them  for  the 
same  offense.  Neither  could  honors,  his  wife  and  child, 
nor  life  itself,  induce  this  Baptist  martyr  to  forsake  the 
truth. 

Balthazar  Hubmeyer  and  his  w^ife  were  mar- 
tyred in  Moravia  in  1528,  for  their  Baptist  principles. 
Hubmeyer  had  been  a  Catholic  preacher;  but  when  he 
became  a  Baptist  he  was  persecuted  by  both  Papists  and 
Protestants.  The  Martyrology  says:  "This  Balthazar 
Hul:>meyer  published  in  his  time  a  tract, 
in  which  he  complains  of  Zuingle  and  his  ^^'^^^^^^dV,  PP. 
followers  in  these  terms  :  '  That  they  had 
proceeded  so  far  as  at  one  time  to  throw  into  a  dark  and 
miserable  tower  twenty  persons,  both  men  and  pregnant 
women,  widows  and  young  females,  and  to  pronounce  this 
sentence  upon  them :  that  thenceforward  they  should  see 
neither  sun  nor  ruoon  for  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  and 


4U  Modern  (Baptist  ^Period. 

be  fed  till  their  days  were  ended  with  bread  and  water. 
That  they,  therefore,  should  remain  in  the  dark  tower 
together,  both  the  living  and  the  dead,  surrounded  with 
filth  and  putrefaction,  until  not  a  single  survivor  of  the 
whole  remained/  ^  Likewise,  that  some  of  them  had  not 
taken  a  mouthful  of  bread  for  three  days,  in  order  that 
the  rest  might  have  the  more  to  eat,^  etc.  '  O  God  ! '  he 
further  writes,  '  what  a  hard,  severe,  cruel  sentence  upon 
pious  Christian  people,  of  whom  no  one  could  speak  evil, 
only  that  they  had  received  water  baptism  in  obedience  to 
the  command  of  Christ ! '  O,  sad  deformation,  say  we, 
of  these  so-called  reformed !  The  Lord  forgive  them,  and 
be  merciful  to  their  blindly  zealous  souls ! " 

Hubmeyer  was  for  a  while  a  Keformcr  with  Zuingle, 
but  he  rejected  infant  baptism  and  joined  the  hated  Bap- 
tists. Zuingle  turned  persecutor  against  him.  In  his  con- 
troversy with  Zuingle,  Hubmeyer  said  :  ^'  Why,  therefore, 

^     do  we  baptize  children?     Baptism,  they 
Marturology,  p.  /  2.  .         ^  .  .       .  ,      .     . 

say,  IS  a  mere  sign.     A  sign  truly  it  is, 

and  a  symbol  instituted  by  Christ  in  most  pregnant  and 
august  words.  But  it  can  not  be  made  to  apply  to  babes  ; 
therefore  is  infant  baptism  without  any  authority  what- 
ever. *  I  believe  and  know,^  he  concludes,  ^  that  Chris- 
tendom shall  not  receive  its  rising  aright,  unless  baptism 
and  the  Lord's  Supper  are  brought  to  their  original  pur- 
ity.' " 

This  last  quotation  shows  that  these  Baptists  regarded 
baptism  as  a  "  symbol  ;^^  they  did  not  adopt  the  idea  of 
baptismal  regeneration.  Hubmeyer  was  put  in  prison  by 
the  Reformers  at  Zurich,  and  after  many  trials  he  escaped 
from  the  Protestants  at  Zurich  and  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Catholics  of  Moravia,  and  was  committed  to  the  flames; 


(Baptists  (Persecuted.  415 

and  his  wife,  who  had  shared  with  him  the  sufferings  of 
prison,  was  drowned  at  Vienna  in  the  river  Danube. 

Michael  Sailer  and  his  wife  were  murdered  by  the  Cath- 
olics. Satler  was  a  Baptist  preacher  who  descended  from 
the  Waklenses.  The  following  is  the  cruel  sentence  against 
him:  "^Between  the  Stadtholder  of  his  ,^ 
imperial  majesty  and  Michael  batler,  is 
made  known  the  following  sentence  :  That  Michael  Satler 
be  delivered  over  to  the  executioner,  who  shall  bring  him 
to  the  place  of  execution  and  cut  out  his  tongue ;  he  shall 
then  throw  him  upon  a  cart,  and  twice  tear  his  flesh  with 
red-hot  pincers  ;  he  shall  then  be  brought  to  the  city  gate, 
and  shall  have  his  flesh  five  times  torn  in  like  manner.' 
This  was  accordingly  done ;  after  which,  as  a  heretic,  he 
was  burned  to  ashes.  Of  his  companions,  the  brethren 
were  executed  by  the  sword,  and  the  sisters  were  drowned. 
His  wife,  after  much  entreaty,  exhortation,  and  threaten- 
ing had  been  employed,  remaining  immovable,  was  some 
days  after  likewise  drowned.  This  took  place  on  the  25th 
of  May,  anno  1527." 

The  Baptists  of  these  troublous  times  certainly  had 
the  mark  of  being  persecuted.  The  Catholic  Emperor, 
Charles  V.,  issued  an  edict  in  1535,  against  the  Baptists. 
After  addressing  all  his  officers,  the  emperor  proceeds : 
"  '  In  order  to  provide  against  and  remedy 
the  errors  and  seductions  which  many  sec-  i  oTfJn  ^^^'  ^^* 
taries  and  authors  of  mischief,  with  their 
followers,  have  dared  to  sow  and  spread  in  our  posses- 
sions, in  opposition  to  our  holy  Christian  faith,  the  sacra- 
ments and  commands  of  the  holy  church  our  mother ;  wo 
have  at  various  times  decreed,  caused  to  be  made  and  pro- 
claimed, many  mandates,  containing  statutes,  edicts,  and 


416  Modern  (Baptist  (Period. 

ordinances,  together  with  punishments  that  transgressors 
should  suffer :  in  order  that  by  such  means  the  common 
and  simple  people,  and  others,  might  guard  themselves 
against  the  aforesaid  errors  and  abuses,  and  that  their 
chief  promoters  and  sectaries  might  be  punished  and  cor- 
rected, as  an  example  to  all.  And  it  having  come  to  our 
knowledge  that,  notwithstanding  our  aforesaid  mandates, 
many  and  various  sectaries  (even  some  who  are  denomi- 
nated Anabaptists,  or  re-baptizers)  have  promoted,  and 
are  daily  promoting,  the  spreading,  sowing,  and  secret 
preaching  of  their  said  abuses  and  errors,  in  order  to  draw 
over  to  their  false  doctrine  and  reprobate  sect  a  great  num- 
ber of  men  and  women,  in  order  to  mislead  the  same,  and 
some  of  them  to  re-baptize,  to  the  great  scandal  and  con- 
tempt of  the  sacrament  of  holy  baptism,  and  of  our  edicts, 
statutes,  and  ordinances  :  therefore,  being  desirous  to  pro- 
vide against  and  remedy  the  same,  we  summon  and  com- 
mand, that,  from  this  time,  having  seen  these  presents, 
you  make  proclamation,  in  all  the  parts  and  limits  of  your 
jurisdiction,  that  all  who  are,  or  shall  be  found  to  be,  in- 
fected by  the  accursed  sect  of  Anabaptists,  or  re-baptizers, 
of  what  state  or  condition  soever  they  be,  their  abettors, 
followers,  and  accomplices,  shall  suffer  the  forfeiture  of 
life  and  estate,  and  shall,  without  any  delay,  be  brought 
to  the  severest  punishment ;  that  is  to  say,  they  who  re- 
main obstinate,  and  harden  themselves  in  their  wicked 
opinions  and  purposes,  or  who  have  seduced  and  re-bap- 
tized any  person,  or  who  have  borne  and  had  the  name 
of  prophets,  apostles,  or  bishops,  [shall  be  put  to  death] 
by  fire.  And  all  other  sorts  of  people,  who  have  been  re- 
baptizod,  or  who  secretly  and  with  previous  counsel  have 
harbored  any  of  the  said  Anabaptists,  or  re-baptizers,  and 


(Baptists  Persecuted.  417 

who  renounce  their  evil  purposes  and  opinions,  and  sin- 
cerely repent,  and  are  sorry  for  the  same,  [shall  be  put  to 
death]  with  the  sword,  and  the  women  in  a  sunken  pit. 

And  in  order  the  better  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  these 
Anabaptists,  or  re-baptizers,  their  adherents  and  accom- 
plices, we  expressly  command  all  our  subjects,  that  they 
make  known  the  same,  and  deliver  them  up  to  the  officer 
of  the  place  where  they  reside,  or  where  they  shall  be 
found.  And  if  any  one  know  of  any  of  this  sect,  or  be 
acquainted  with  them,  and  do  not  deliver  them  up  to  the 
officer  where  they  reside,  the  same  shall  be  punished  as  an 
abettor,  or  accomplice,  of  such  sect  of  re-baptizers.  And 
he  that  delivers  them  up,  or  makes  them  known,  shall 
have  a  third  part  of  the  estate  confiscated,  so  far  as  the 
accused  shall  be  convicted. 

Forbidding,  moreover,  all  our  subjects  to  claim  or  seek 
any  grace,  forgiveness,  or  reconciliation,  for  the  said  Ana- 
baptists, or  re-baptizers,  or  to  present,  on  their  behalf,  any 
petitions  or  requests,  on  pain  of  being  punished  at  our 
pleasure.  It  being  understood,  that  it  is  not  our  will,  nor 
will  we  permit,  that  any  Anabaptists,  or  re-baptizers  (be- 
cause of  their  wicked  opinions)  shall  be  received  into  fa- 
vor, but  be  punished  as  a  warning  to  others,  without  any 
dissimulation,  favor,  or  delay.  And  in  order  so  to  do,  in 
all  things  appertaining  thereto,  we  give  you,  and  each  of 
you  for  himself,  full  power  and  special  command. 

Given  at  Brussels,  under  our  seal  hereto  affixed,  and 
now  printed,  the  10th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1535.  Under 
the  sanction  of  the  Emperor  and  his  Council,  and  under- 
signed, Pens  ART." 

This  terrible-  edict  was  issued  by  a  Catholic  emperor. 
But  the  followino-  is  from  the  Protestants: 


418  Modern  (Baptist  (Period. 

"  Of  a  certain  Proclamation  published  at  Zu- 
rich AGAINST  THE  BAPTISTS,  A.  D.  1525. — At  this  time 
,  ^  not  only  the  Papists,  but  likewise  the  Pe- 
lormed,  call  Ziunglians,  in  the  town  oi  Zu- 
rich, laid  hands  on  the  simple,  harmless  sheep  of  Christ; 
yet  not  (that  we  can  find)  to  punish  them  with  death,  or  by 
an  executioner  to  deprive  them  of  life;  but  they  put  them 
in  close  confinement,  until  (as  may  be  concluded)  death  at 
last  followed. 

But  in  order  to  determine  what  measures  from  that  time 
forward  should  be  employed,  the  following  ordinance,  ac- 
companied by  many  more  words,  was  issued  by  the  magis- 
trates of  that  city : 

^  Therefore  we  ordain,*  and  it  is  our  will,  that  hence- 
forward all  men,  women,  young  men,  and  maidens,  ab- 
stain from  re-baptism,  and  from  this  time  practice  it  no 
more ;  and  that  they  bring  the  young  children  to  be  bap- 
tized. For  whoever  shall  act  contrary  to  this  public  or- 
der, shall,  as  often  as  it  occurs,  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  a 
mark  of  silver ;  and  if  any  shall  be  altogether  disobedient 
and  rebellious,  they  shall  be  dealt  with  severely ;  for  w^e 
will  protect  the  obedient,  and  punish  the  disobedient  ac- 
cording to  his  deserts,  without  further  forgiveness.  Let 
each  one  act  accordingly. 

And  all  this  Ave  confirm  by  letters  patent,  sealed  w^ith 
our  city  seal,  and  given  on  St.  Andrew's  Day,  [Nov.  30,] 
anno  1525.'  " 

After  this  proclamation  the  Protestants  proceeded  to 
harsher  measures.  They  published  the  following  in  1530 : 
^^  ^Therefore  we  strictly  command  all  the 
12^2^^^'  Pi'-  inhabitants  of  our  land^,  and  those  in  any- 
wise allied  thereto,  and  especially  the  su- 


(Baptists  Persecuted.  419 

^  perior  and  inferior  officers,  sergeants,  city  officers,  magis- 
trates, elders  of  churches,  and  ministers,  wherever  they 
shall  discover  any  Anabaptists,  that  they  make  it  known 
to  us,  according  to  the  oath  by  which  they  are  bound ; 
that  they  nowhere  suifer  the  same,  nor  let  them  multiply, 
but  seize  them,  and  deliver  them  over  to  us ;  for,  accord- 
ing to  the  tenor  of  our  laws,  we  will  punish  the  Anabap- 
tists with  death,  together  with  those  who  sanction  or  follow 
them.  Whosoever  shall  assist  them,  or  abstain  from  giv- 
ing information  concerning  them,  neither  will  pursue  them, 
nor  bring  them  prisoners,  shall  likewise  be  punished  ac- 
cording to  their  deserts,  and  without  any  favor,  as  guilty 
of  a  breach  of  the  fidelity  and  the  oath  which  they  have 
sworn  to  the  ruling  powers.' '' 

Volumes  might  be  filled  with  the  details  of  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  German  and  Dutch  Baptists.  They  were  per- 
secuted alike  by  Catholics  and  Protestants.  The  decrees 
of  the  Zuinglians  were  as  cruel  as  that  of  Charles  Y.  It 
will  be  seen  that  all  the  leading  Protestant  Reformers 
embraced  the  leading  characteristic  of  Rome  by  persecut- 
ing the  Baptists.  It  is  a  well  known  historic  fact,  that 
John  Calvin,  the  founder  of  Presbyterianism,  procured 
the  death  of  Servetus  on  account  of  his  Baptist  principles.- 
Concerning  this  bloody  deed,  Mr.  Robinson  remarks  that: 
'^  Calvin  did  not  blush  to  say  :  ^  I  ordered 
it  so  that  a  party  should  be  found  to  ac-  ^''^''  ^^^^'  ^'''' 
cuse  him,  not  denying  that  the  action  was  ^" 
drawn  up  by  my  advice.'  What  a  glorious  Reformation 
had  been  wrought  in  Geneva,  when  a  proof  of  a  man's 
Christianity  lay  in  his  humbly  requesting  the  magistrates 
to  burn  a  foreign  gentleman  over  whom  they  had  no  juris- 
diction, for  the  honor  of  God  and  his  eminent  servant 


420  Modern  (Baptist  ^Period. 

John  Calvin/'  It  is  true  that  Servetus  was  accused  of 
denying  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity;  but  if  this  were  true, 
Calvin  had  no  right  to  burn  him  to  death.  Even  the 
mild  Melancthon  indorsed  the  burning  of  Servetus. 

In  regard  to  the  persecutions  under  Luther,  Mr.  Curtis 
reports  him  as  follows :  "  Luther  says  of  false  teachers : 
'I  am  very  o verse  to  the  shedding  of 
rro^j^BaptPrin.,^^^^^^  ^Tis  sufficient  that  they  should 
be  banished ; '  but  he  allows  that  they 
may  be  ^corrected  and  forced  at  least  to  silence — put  under 
restraint  as  madmen.'  As  to  the  Jews,  he  thought  ^  their 
synagogues  should  be  leveled  with  the  ground,  their  houses 
burned,  and  their  books — even  the  Old  Testament — taken 
from  them.'  Several  of  the  Anabaptists  were  also  put  to 
death  by  the  Lutherans,  '  for  propagating  their  errors,  con- 
trary to  the  judgment  of  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel.' " 

In  the  year  1659  the  Baptists  were  banished  by  the 
Picdb/terians  from  Switzerland  as  being  an  ^^  extremely 
dangerous  and  wicked  sect."  In  the  conclusion  of  this 
section,  we  ^^roceed  to  give  a  few  examples  of  the  terrible 
sufferings  of  the  Baptists  in  England.  The  leading  Prot- 
estant authors  do  not  conceal  the  bitterness  of  their  oppo- 
sition to  the  Baptists.  Mr.  Neal,  the  historian,  complains 
of  the  Baptists  as  follows :  "  The  people  of  this  persuasion 
Crosby's  m,.Bnrj.  ^^^^rc  more  exposed  to  the  public  resent- 
Jjapt.,voLI,prcf.,  ment,  because  they  would  hold  com- 
P-  ^-  munion  with  none  but  such  as  had  been 

dipped.  All,"  says  he,  "  must  pass  under  this  cloud  be- 
fore they  could  be  received  into  their  churches;  and  the 
same  narrow  spirit  prevails  too  generally  among  them 
even  at  this  day."  Mr.  Crosby  remarks  that  "  Y)r.  Featly, 
writing  against  the  Baptists  of  his  day,  says  :    ^  He  could 


(Baptists  Persecuted.  421 

hardly  dip  his  pen  in  any  other  liquor  than  the  juice 
of  gall.'  '^  These  quotations  develop  the  CroshiJsHis.  Eng. 
fact  that  it  was  "close  communion  ^^  J3apL,voL  I,pref., 
which  caused  Dr.  Featly  and  others  to  ^'  ' 
dip  their  pens  in  the  juice  of  gall  when  writing  against  the 
Baptists.  In  the  time  of  King  Edward  YI.,  Joan  Boucher, 
of  Kent,  w^as  condemned  as  an  "  obstinate  heretic  ^'  on  ac- 
count of  her  Baptist  principles.  The  king  hesitated  to 
consign  her  to  the  flames,  because  this  would  be  equal  to 
the  cruelty  of  the  Catholics.  But  Archbishop  "  Cranmer 
was  employed  to  persuade  him  to  sign  the  Burnett's  Ms.  Ref. 
warrant.  He  argued  from  the  law  of  quoted  by  Crosby, 
Moses,  by  which  blasphemers  were  to  be  ^"^^-  -^j  P-  ^9. 
stoned.  He  told  the  king  he  made  a  great  difference  be- 
tween errors  in  other  points  of  divinity,  and  those  which 
were  directly  against  the  apostles'  creed;  that  these  were 
impieties  against  God,  which  a  prince,  as  being  God's 
deputy,  ought  to  punish,  as  the  king's  deputies  were 
obliged  to  punish  offenses  against  the  king's  person. 
These  reasons  did  rather  silence  than  satisfy  the  young 
king,  w^ho  still  thought  it  a  hard  thing,  as  in  truth  it  Avas, 
to  proceed  so  severely  in  such  cases ;  so  he  set  his  hand  to 
the  warrant  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  saying  to  Cranmer,  that 
if  he  did  wrong,  since  it  was  in  submission  to  his  author- 
ity, he  should  answer  for  it  to  God.  This  struck  the  Arch- 
bishop with  much  horror,  so  that  he  was  very  unwilling 
to  have  the  sentence  executed ;  and  both  he  and  Ridley 
took  the  woman,  then  in  custody,  to  their  houses,  to  see 
if  tfiey  could  persuade  her.  But  she  continued,  by  jeers 
and  insolences,  to  carry  herself  so  contemptuously,  that  at 
last  the  sentence  was  executed  on  her  the  2d  of  May  next 
year — Bishop  ScQrey  preaching  at  her  burning." 


422  Modem  (Baptist  Period. 

This  account,  as  given  by  Bishop  Burnett,  shows  that 
both  Cranmer  and  Ridley,  who  were  themselves  burned 
by  the  bloody  Mary,  were  guilty  of  procuring  the  burn- 
ing of  Joan  of  Kent.  Joan  was  burned  to  death  by  these 
Ppotestant  reformers  for  the  crime  of  being  a  Baptist. 
Cranmer  and  Ridley  are  often  held  up  before  the  world 
as  martyrs;  but  it  is  justice  to  observe,  that  while  they 
were  in  power,  they  persecuted  and  killed  others  for  con- 
science sake,  and  when  the  Catholics  came  into  author- 
ity, under  Mary,  they,  in  turn,  suifered  death,  ^yhatever 
may  be  said  of  bishops  Cranmer  and  Ridley,  they  were  not 
martyrs  for  Jesus  Christ;  they  were  the  murderers  of 
others,  and  when  the  scale  turned,  they  themselves  were 
murdered  by  the  Catholics.     Mr.  Crosby  remarks  that : 

"  In  the  year  1550,  about  the  end  of  De- 
Crosbrfs  His.  Enq.  -,         ,i  ,i  ,,     , 

7?  /  7  7-  OA  cember,  the  same  author  assures  us,  that 
Bapt.,  vol.  /,  p.  80.  '  .1      •        1       ex 

after  many  cavils  m  the   State,  an   act 

passed  for  the  king's  general  pardon,  wherein  the  Ana- 
baptists are  excepted.  *Last  of  all,'  says  the  Bishop, 
(that  is,  of  the  acts  made  by  this  parliament)  'came  the 
king's  general  pardon,  out  of  which  those  in  the  tower  or 
other  prisons,  on  the  account  of  the  State,  as  also  all  Ana- 
baptists, were  excepted.'  ^'  Thus  we  have  exhibited  the 
bitterness  of  that  hate  against  the  Baptists  which  caused 
them  to  be  retained  in  filthy  prisons  when  others  were 
pardoned.  And  this  was  under  the  mild  reign  of  King 
Edward  as  the  head  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

We  have  the  following  account,  as  given  by  Mr.  Pierce, 
of  the  effort  of  Mr.  Fox  to  procure  the  mitigation  of  the 

n  I.  1  TT'  T-  punishment  of  Joan  :  '''Now,' says  Mr. 
Orosoy  s  His.  Lng.  ^  ^        -^ 

Baptists, vol.  1,1^^.  Fox,  'when  the  Protestant  bishops  had 
69,  60.  resolved  to  put  her  to  death,  a  friend  of 


(Baptists  (Persecuted.  423 

Mr.  John  Rogers,  tlie  divinity-rciider  in  St.  Paul's  Churcl", 
came  to  him,  earnestly  desiring  him  to  use  his  influence 
Avith  the  archbishop,  that  the  poor  woman's  life  might 
be  spared,  and  other  means  used  to  prevent  the  spread- 
ing of  her  opinions,  which  might  be  done  in  time :  urg- 
ing, too,  that  Avhile  she  lived,  she  infected  few  with  her 
opinions,  yet  she  might  bring  many  to  think  well  of  it  by 
suffering  death  for  it.  He  pleaded,  therefore,  that  it  Avas 
better  she  should  be  kept  in  some  prison,  without  an  op- 
portunity of  propagating  her  notion  among  weak  people, 
and  so  she  would  do  no  harm  to  others,  and  might  live  to 
repent  herself.  Rogers,  on  the  other  hand,  pleaded  she 
ought  to  be  put  to  death.  Well,  then,  says  his  friend,  if 
you  are  resolved  to  put  an  end  to  her  life,  together  with 
her  opinion,  choose  some  other  kind  of  death  more  agree- 
able to  the  gentleness  and  mercy  prescribed  in  the  Gos- 
pel,— there  being  no  need  that  such  tormenting  deaths 
should  be  taken  up  in  imitation  of  the  Papists.  Rogers 
answered,  that  burning  alive  was  no  cruel  death,  but  easy 
enough.  His  friend  then  hearing  these  words,  which  ex- 
pressed so  little  regard  to  a  poor  creature's  sufferings,  an- 
swered him  Avith  great  vehemence,  and  striking  Rogers' 
hand,  Avhich  before  he  held  fast,  said  to  him :  Well.  j)^r- 
hapSy  it  may  so  happen  that  you  yourselves  shall  have  your 
hands  Jnll  of  this  mild  burning.  And  so  it  came  to  pass ; 
and  Rogers  Avas  the  first  man  Avho  AA'as  burned  in  Queen 
Mary's  time.' '' 

Thus  Ave  learn  that  the  great  "  martyr,"  John  Rogers, 
was  a  murderer  of  a  Baptist.  He  Avas  not  one  of  the  mar- 
tyrs of  Jesus ;  for  they  did  not  persecute  others  on  account 
of  their  religious  a^Icavs.  These  Protestant  ministers  of. 
the  Church  of  England  were  unwilling  that  a  Baptist  aa^o- 


424  Modern  (Baptist  (Period. 

man  should  have  au  easier  death  than  burning.  Such 
were  the  feelings  of  hatred  against  the  members  of  that 
"sect"  which  was  every-where  spoken  against. 

During  the  reign  of  the  bloody  Mary,  a  Baptist,  origi- 
nally from  Holland,  by  the  name  of  David  George,  died 
in  England.     Speaking  of  him,  Mr.  Crosby  says:     "He 
died  in  the  year  155G,  and  was  honorably  buried  in  St. 
Lawrence  Church.     Some  time  after  his 

Tt  "^'n,  ^^ ''    death,  it  was  discovered  that  he  was  an 
vol.  J,  p.  64.  ^      . 

Anabaptist;  upon  Avhich  his  house,  and 
those  of  his  followers,  were  searched,  a  certain  number  of 
divines  and  lawyers  appointed  to  examine  them,  his  opin- 
ions were  condemned  by  an  ordinance,  his  picture  carried 
about  and  burnt,  and  his  corpse  taken  up  three  years  after 
buried  and  burnt,  etc."  It  will  be  observed  that  the 
Church  of  England  was  Catholic  or  Protestant  alternately, 
as  it  happened  to  have  a  Catholic  or  Protestant  ruler  on 
the  throne;  and  this  bloody  church  persecuted  the  Bap- 
tists, both  living  and  dead,  whether  it  bore  the  name  of 
Catholic  or  Protestant.  Even  the  "good  Queen''  Eliza- 
beth found  it  necessary,  in  the  year  1575,  to  persecute, 
with  banishment,  those  Baptists  who  would  not  take  a 
blasphemous  oath  in  the  renunciation  of  all  and  every 
Anabaj^tistical  error."  And  even  ^Ir.  Fox,  the  Martyrol- 
ogist,  indorsed  the  sentence  of  banishment  against  the  Bap- 
tists.    In  his  letter  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  Mr.  Fox  says: 

"Many  others  were  condemned  to  exile — 
ros)ys  js.  -ng.  ^  j.[g[^^  sentence,  in  my  opinion.     But  I 

hear  there  is  one  or  two  of  these  who  arc 
appointed  to  the  most  severe  of  punishments — viz:  burn- 
ing — except  your  clemency  prevent."  But  the  letter  of 
John  Fox,  pleading  for  the  mitigation  of  their  punish- 


(Baptists  Persecuted.  425 

ment,  availed  nothing;  and  these  two  Anabapiids  were 
burned  in  Smithfield,  by  order  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  The 
doctrine  of  the  English  Baptists,  for  which  they  were  ban- 
ished and  burned  under  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  is  stated 
by  Dr.  Some  as  follows:  "That  the  ministers  of  the  Gos- 
pel ought  to  be  maintained  by  the  volun- 
,  i.  M     i.-  z-i-i  1  Crosby' 8  His.  Eng. 

tary  contributions  01  the  people:  p    t       n 

That  the  civil  power  has  no  right  to 
make  and  impose  ecclesiastical  laws : 

That  people  ought  to  have  the  right  of  choosing  their 
own  ministers: 

That  the  high-6ommission  court  was  an  anti-christian 
usurpation : 

That  those  who  are  qualified  to  preach,  ought  not  to  be 
hindered  by  the  civil  powers: 

That,  tho'  the  Lord's  prayer  be  a  rule  and  foundation 
of  prayer,  yet  not  to  be  used  as  a  form;  and  that  no  form 
of  prayer  ought  to  be  imposed  on  the  church : 

That  the  baptism  administered  in  the  Church  of  Rome 
is  invalid: 

That  a  true  condition  and  discipline  is  essential  to  a 
true  church;  and  that  the  worship  of  God  in  the  Church 
of  England  is  in  many  things  defective. 

He  touches  but  briefly  on  their  opinion  of  baptizing 
believers  only;  and  brings  up  the  rear  with  saying,  they 
counted  blasphemy  for  any  man  to  arrogate  to  himself  the 
title  o^  Doctor  of  Divinity  —  that  is,  as  he  explains  it,  to 
be  called  Rabbi,  or  Lord  and  Master  of  other  men's  faith.^' 

From  the  foregoing  statement  of  Baptist  doctrine,  a3 
held  by  the  English  martyrs,  we  find  that  they  regarded 
the  churches  of  Rome  and  England  as  false  churches,  and 
their  baptism  as  invalid ;  and  that  they  regarded  the  as- 


426  Modern  ^Baptist  Period. 

sumption  of  the  title  of  "  Doctor  of  Divinity  ^'  as  "  blas- 
phemy.'' What  Avill  our  modern  D.D.'s  think  of  this? 
Enoch  Clapham^  writing  against  the  English  Baptists 
and  others,  in  the  year  1608,  gives  the  following  account 
of  their  doctrine,  as  reported  by  Crosby :  ^^  The  Anabap- 
tists, according  to  his  account,  held,  that 
Crosby^  H'ls.  Enq.  ,  i    r  •  j.i  ^  j      i 

r  f  88  89  repentance  and  laith  must  precede  bap- 
tism ;  that  the  baptism  both  of  the  church 
of  England  and  of  the  Puritans  w^as  invalid,  and  that  the 
true  baptism  was  among  them.  He  says  further,  that 
they  complained  against  the  term  Anabaptist^  as  a  name 
of  reproach  unjustly  cast  upon  them.  He  also  takes 
notice,  that  some  of  this  opinion  were  Dutchmen,  who, 
beside  the  denial  of  infant  baptism,  held,  that  it  was  un- 
lawful to  bear  arms :  That  Christ  did  not  receive  his 
human  nature  of  the  Virgin,  but  brought  it  down  with  him 
from  heaven ;  and  agreed  with  the  Roman  Catholics  in 
the  doctrines  of  reprobation,  free  will,  and  justification. 
That  there  were  others  who  went  under  this  denomination 
that  were  Englishmen,  to  whom  he  does  not  so  directly 
charge  the  former  opinions,  only  the  denial  of  their  first 
baptism,  and  separating  both  from  the  established  church, 
and  other  Dissenters;  and  says,  that  they  came  out  from 
the  Brownists,  and  that  there  was  a  congregation  of  them 
in  Holland.  When  the  Anabaptist  is  asked  what  religion 
he  is  of,  he  is  made  to  answer :  o/  the  true  religion,  com- 
monly termed  Anabaptism,  from  our  baptizing^ 

When  the  Arian  says,  "  I  am  of  the  mind  that  there  is  no 
CroshfsHis.Eng.  ^^ue  baptism  upon  earth,  the  Anabaptist 
Bapt.,  vol.  I,  pp.  replies,  I  pray  thee,  son,  say  not  so;  the 
^^j  ^^-  congregation  I  am  of  can,  and  doth,  ad^ 

minister    true    baptism.      When    an    inquirer  after  truth 


(Baptists  (Persecuted.  All 

oifers,  upon  his  proving  what  he  has  said,  to  leave  his 
old  religion,  the  Anabaptist  answers:  you  may  say^  if 
God  will  give  the  grace  to  leave  it;  for  it  is  a  peculiar 
grace  to  leave  Sodom  and  Egypt,  spiritually  so-called. 
When  the  same  person  offers  to  join  with  them,  and  firmly 
betake  himself  to  their  faith ;  the  Anabaptist  replies :  the 
dew  of  heaven  come  upon  you;  to-morrow  I  will  bring  you 
into  our  sacred  congregation,  that  so  you  may  come  to  he 
informed  in  the  faith,  hut  after  that,  to  he  purely  baptized.^^ 
It  will  be  remembered,  that  this  account  of  the  English 
Baptists,  was  by  their  opponent,  Enoch  Clapham,  and  may 
be  considered  valuable  as  to  the  matters  of  fact  stated. 
Several  important  points  are  brought  to  view^  in  these 
quotations,  as  folio w^s; 

First:  The  English  Baptists  held,  that  repentance  and 
faith  must  precede  baptism. 

Second:  That  the  bapAism  of  the  Church  of  England 
and  of  the  Puritans  was  invalid: 

Third:  That  the  true  baptism  was  among  themselves: 

Fourth:  That  the  term  Anabaptist  was  a  name  of  re- 
proach, unjustly  cast  upon  them: 

Fifth:  And  that  they  regarded  the  churches  of  Rome 
and  England,  ivith  all  their  branches,  as  Sodom  and  Egypt, 
spiritually  so  called. 

In  the  year  1611,  King  James,  the  author  of  the  com- 
mon version  of  the  Bible,  showed  his  zeal  for  the  Episco- 
pal Church  by  burning  alive  two  men  for  heresy.  They 
were  burnt  in  Smithfield,  in  the  year  1611.  One  of  these 
was  Legate,  who  was  accused  of  denying  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity ;  and  "  The  other  was  one  Ed- 
ward AVio-htman,  a  Baptist  of  the  town  ^^^  y  ^  ^^-  \^l^ 
f.  >    -Sop.,  foZ. /,  p.  108 

of  Burton  upon  Trent,  who,  on  the  14tti 


428  Modern  (Baptist  (Period. 

day  of  December,  was  convicted  of  divers  heresies,  before 
the  bishop  of  Coventry  and  Litchfield;  and  being  deliv- 
ered up  to  the  secular  power,  was  burnt  at  Litchfield  tlie 
11th  of  April  following,'^ 

We  find  among  the  errors  for  which  Wightman  was 
burned,  he  held:  ^^That  the  baptizing  of  infants  is  an 
abominable  custom:  That  the  Lord's  Supper  and  baptism 
are  not  to  be  celebrated  as  they  are  now  practiced  in  the 
Church  of  England :  That  Christianity  is  not  wholly  pro- 
fessed and  preached  in  the  Church  of  England,  but  only 
in  part.''  And  besides  burning  Baptists,  King  James 
seized  their  estates  and  wasted  "away  their  lives  privately 
in  nasty  prisons."  It  is  no  wonder  that  he  constructed 
rules  to  prevent  a  perfect  translation  of  the  Bible. 

The  hatred  against  the  English  Baptists  was  so  intense, 
even  under  the  Presbyterian  rule,  that  Samuel  Gates,  a 

Baptist  preacher,  was   arrested   in   1646, 

See  Crosby,  vol.  I,    a       ^        ,   •      •  ^  ?j  i 

^op  ana  put  ni  irons  as  a  murderer,    because 

a  lady  died  a  few  weeks  after  her  baptism. 
But  upon  trial  it  was  found  that  Anne  Martin,  the  lady 
who  died,  was  in  better  health  for  some  time  after  her  bap- 
tism than  for  years  before.  These  sons  of  Calvin  made  a 
desperate  effort  to  secure  the  execution  of  Gates,  the  Bap- 
tist preacher,  as  a  murderer  for  the  practice  of  immersion. 
The  secret  of  the  matter  was,  that  Gates  was  aji  able 
preacher  "and  great  disputant"  against  the  fiilse  claims 
of  Presbyterian] sm.  During  the  reign  of  Charles  IT.  a 
Baptist  preacher,  by  the  name  of  John  James,  was  pulled 
down  from  the  pulpit  while  preaching,- by  an  officer  of  the 
government,  and  was  afterward  arrested  and  tried,  under 
the  pretense  that  he  had  spoken  treason.  And  after  he 
was  condemned  to  death,  his  wife  bore  a  petition  to  the 


(Baptists  (Persecuted.  429 

king,  who  only  mocked  at  the  distress  of  the  poor  woman, 
and  said,  "  Oh !  Mr.  James :  he  is  a  sweet  gentleman ;  yea, 
he  shall  be  hanged."  Consequently,  James  was  hanged 
and  quartered. 

Even  Ilichard  Baxter,  the  author  of  the  Saint's  Kest, 
charges  the  Baptists  with  murder,  and  nearly  every  other 
sin,  for  the  practice  of  immersion.  We  here  introduce  the 
remarkable  language  of  Mr.  Baxter  himself,  as  reported 
by  Crosby  in  his  history.  Crosby  quotes  from  Baxter's 
Plain  Scripture  Proof,  p.  134: 

^^  Mr.  Baxter  charges  the  practice  of  dipping  in  baptism 
as  a  breach  of  the  sixth  commandment;  and  forms  his  ar- 
gument upon  it  thus :  ^  That  which  is  a  plain  breach  of  the 
sixth  commandment.  Thou  shall  nol  kill,  Crosby' s  His.  Enq. 
is  no  ordinance  of  God,  but  a  most  heinous  Bapt.,  vol.  Ill, 
sin :  but  the  ordinary  practice  of  baptiz-  P'^^f<^ce,  p.  83. 
ing  by  dipping  overhead  in  cold  water,  as  necessary,  is  a 
plain  breach  of  the  sixth  commandment.  Therefore,  it  is 
no  ordinance  of  God,  but  a  heinous  sin.  And,  as  Mr. 
Craddock,  in  his  book  of  Gospel  Liberty,  shows,  the  mag- 
istrate ought  to  restrain  it,  to  save  the  lives  of  his  subjects; 
even  according  to  their  principles,  that  w^ill  yet  allow  the 
magistrate  no  power  directly  in  matters  of  worship.  That 
this  is  flat  murder ,  and  no  better,  being  ordinarily  and 
generally  used,  is  undeniable  to  any  understanding  man. 
For  that  which  directly  tendeth  to  overthrow  men's  lives, 
being  willfully  used,  is  plain  murder.  And  further,  he 
adds,  I  know  not  what  trick  a  covetous  landlord  can  find 
out,  to  get  his  tenants  to  die  apace,  that  he  may  have  new 
fines  and  herriots,  likelier  to  encourage  such  practices,  that 
he  may  get  them  to  turn  Anabaptists.  I  wish,  says  he,, 
that  this  device  be  not  it,  that  countenances  these  men. 


430  Modern  baptist  (Period. 

And  covetous  physicians,  methinks,  should  not  be  much 
against  them.  Catarrhs  and  obstructions,  which  are  the 
two  great  fountains  of  most  mortal  diseases  in  man's  body, 
could  scarce  have  a  more  notable  means  to  produce  them 
where  they  are  not,  or  to  increase  them  where  they  are. 
Apoplexies,  lethargies,  palsies,  and  all  comatous  diseases, 
would  be  promoted  by  it.  So  would  cephalalgies,  hemi- 
cranies,  phthises,  debility  of  the  stomach,  crudities,  and 
almost  all  fevers,  dysenteries,  diarrheas,  cholics,  iliac  pas- 
sions, convulsions,  spasms,  tremors,  etc.  All  hepatic,  sple- 
netic, pulmonic  persons,  and  hypochondriacs,  would  soon 
have  enough  of  it.'  " 

Thus  we  have  Richard  Baxter's  statement  of  the  evils 
of  immersion.  According  to  him,  it  is  almost  as  bad  as 
Pandora's  box,  in  producing  human  woes.  Mr.  Baxter 
concluded  by  saying  that  immersion  ^^is  good  for  nothing 
but  to  dispatch  men  out  of  the  world  that  are  burdensome, 
and  to  ranken  church-yards."  He  even  constructed  an 
argument  to  try  to  prove  that  immersion  is  a  "  breach  of 
the  seventh  commandment — Tliou  shall  not  commit  adul- 
tery.^^  But  enough :  this  is  but  one  example  of  the  intense 
opposition  to  Baptists  by  those  Protestants  who  had  not 
the  power  to  lay  violent  hands  on  them.  It  was  my  de- 
sign to  introduce  many  other  illustrious  examples  of  the 
suiferings  of  the  English  Baptists  for  the  cause  of  truth ; 
but  space  forbids.  Like  the  ancient  Waldenses,  the  Bap- 
tists of  this  period  have  suffered  in  almost  every  conceiv- 
able way,  for  their  attachment  for  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Women  have  gone  to  the  stake  from  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years  down  to  the  tender  age  of  fourteen,  where 
they  were  burned  to  ashes  simply  because  they  maintained 
the  doctrine  of  the  Baptists.    Baptist  ministers  have  spent 


Mennonites.  431 


from  one  to  twenty  years  of  their  ministerial  lives  in  filthy 
prisons,  because  of  their  attachment  to  Baptist  doctrine. 
Truly,  they  belonged  to  that  "  sect  '^  every- where  spoken 
against.  We  have  not  pursued  the  regular  order  in  the 
application  of  the  peculiarities  to  this  period.  The  great 
mass  of  the  German  and  English  Baptists  maintained  the 
Bible  characteristics,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  their  lives. 
The  exception  to  this  was,  the  Open-communion  Baptists 
of  Poland,  under  the  leadership  of  Socinus,  and  the  Eng- 
lish Open-communion  Baptists,  led  by  Robert  Hall.  But 
it  is  generally  admitted,  by  men  of  candor,  that  open  com- 
munion is  wholly  inconsistent  with  Baptist  principles. 


Section  II. — Distinction   between  the  ancient 

AND    modern    mennonites. 

Menno  Simon,  a  native  Frieseland,  a  Romish  priest,  re- 
nounced the  Catholic  Church  and  joined  the  Baptists  in 
1536.  His  Avonderful  success  as  a  Baptist  minister  brought 
down  the  hatred  and  persecution  of  all  Pedobaptists  upon 
him.  And  from  him  the  opponents  of  the  Baptists  began 
to  call  them  Mennonites.  Mosheim,  the  historian,  in  his 
account  of  the  Baptists,  heads  the  chapter,  "The  His- 
tory of  the  Anabaptists  or  Mennonites.^^  The 
question  has  lately  been  raised  as  to  the  Baptist  character 
of  the  Mennonites.  The  confusion  on  this  point  has 
arisen  from  a  failure  to  discriminate  between  the  original 
strict  Mennonites,  and  the  modern  Mennonites.  Menno 
himself  was  a  strict  Baptist.  It  is  known  that  all  Menno 
nites  profess  to  practice  believer's  baptism,  but  the  recenj 
Mennonites  are  known  to  practice  pouring  for  baptism 


432  Modern  (Baptist  C-'eriod. 

Z.  N.  Brown,  the  author  of  the  Religious  Encyclopedia, 
states,  upon  the  authority  of  Mr.  Ward,  that,  "  The  modern 
^  ,  ^,  ^^^  Mennonites  plead  the  authority  of  Menno 

lor  the  use  oi  pounng  and  sprnikling  as 
baptism.  But  in  reality  it  is  a  wide  departure  from  the 
views  of  Menno,  who  says,  ^  After  we  have  searched  ever  so 
diligently,  we  shall  find  no  other  baptism  but  dipping  in 
water,  which  is  acceptable  to  God  and  approved  in  his 
Word.'  ^'     And  Mr.  Benedict  remarks  that :  "  Menno  was, 

indeed,  a  distinguished  teacher  among  the 

Benedicfs  His.  Anabaptists  during  the  whole  of  his  min- 
Bapt,  p.  124.         .  ^        ^^     ^     .     , 

istry,  but  Mosheim  s  account  ol  his  gather- 
ing up  the  fragments  of  the  society  after  their  dispersion, 
and  re-organizing  them  upon  new  and  better  principles, 
is  not  at  all  sustained  by  anything  that  appears  in  their 
own  relations.  They  were  the  same  people  in  policy  and 
practice  before  Menno  came  among  them,  as  -afterward.^' 
These  quotations  go  to  prove,  that  Menno  held  the  Baptist 
doctrine  of  immersion,  and  that  he  joined  the  Baptists,  who 
were  denominationally  the  same  people  before  and  after 
his  reception  among  them. 

Mosheim,  the  historian,  settles  the  fact,  that  the  original 
Mennonites  were  thorough  immersionists.     Speaking  of 
the  particular  Baptists  of  England,  he  says  :  ""  The  Bap- 
tists of  the  latter  sect  settled  chiefly  in 

Mosheim' s  Church    ti  i-j_i  t  i.    a.  j 

rr.        ^^^  Eondon,  and  ni  the  adjacent  towns  and 

villages ;  and  they  have  departed  so  far 

from  the  tenets  of  their  ancestors,  that,  at  this  day,  they 

retain  no  more  of  the  peculiar  doctrines  and  institutions 

of  the  Mennonites,  than  the  administration  of  baptism  hy 

immersion,  and  the  refusal  of  that  sacrament  to  infants, 

and  those  of  tender  years ;  and  consequently  they  have 


Mennonites.  433 


none  of  those  scruples  relating  to  oaths,  wars,  and  the 
functions  of  magistracy,  which  still  remain  among  even 
the  mDst  rational  part  of  the  Mennonites." 

Here  we  have  the  testimony  that  the  "  administration 
of  bcvtism  by  immersion,  and  the  refusal  of  that  sacra- 
ment to  infants/^  are  '^  peculiar  doctrines  "  of  the  ^lennon- 
ites.  And  though  this  historian  would  make  the  impres- 
sion that  the  English  Baptists  differed  from  the  Mennon- 
ites, yet  that  difference  had  no  reference  to  church  organ- 
ization or  ordinances,  but  only  related  to  their  views  con- 
cerning oaths,  bearing  arms,  etc.  Mosheim  further  states 
the  doctrine  of  the  Mennonites,  as  follows  :  ^'  The  opinions 
entertained  bv  the  Mennonites  in  general, 
seemed  to  be  derived  from  this  leading  ^^,^^^^»'''fC!mrch 

1111  /izs.,  p.  49/. 

and  fundamental  principle,  that  ^the  king- 
dom of  Christ  established  upon  earth,  is  a  visible  church 
or  community,  to  which  the  holy  and  the  just  are  alone  to 
be  admitted,  and  which  is  consequently  exempt  from  all 
those  institutions  and  rules  of  discipline  that  have  been 
invented  by  human  wisdom  for  the  correction  and  refor- 
mation of  the  Avicked.^  This  fanatical  principle  was  frankly 
avowed  by  the  ancient  Mennonites :  their  more  immediate 
descendants,  however,  began  to  be  less  ingenious ;  and,  in 
their  public  confessions  of  faith,  they  either  disguised  it 
uuder  ambiguous  phrases,  or  expressed  themselves  as  if 
they  meant  to  renounce  it.  To  renounce  it  entirely  was, 
indeed,  impossible,  without  falling  into  the  greatest  incon- 
sistency, and  undermining  the  very  foundation  of  those 
doctrines  which  distinguished  them  from  all  other  Chris- 
tian societies.  And  yet  it  is  certain  that  the  present  Men- 
nonites, as  they  have,  in  many  other  respects,  dej^arted 
from  the  principles  and  maxims  of  their  ancestors,  have 


43-i  Modern  (Baptist  (Period. 

also  given  a  striking  instance  of  defection  in  the  case  now 
before  us,  and  have  almost  wholly  relinquished  this  funda- 
mental doctrine  of  their  sect,  relating  to  the  nature  of  the 
Christian  Church/^ 

In  this  extract  we  have  exhibited  the  purity  of  the  an- 
cient Mennonite  doctrine  concerning  the  church,  and  also 
the  fact  that  the  modern  Mennonites  have  departed  from 
these  original  principles.  A  controversy  originated  among 
the  Mennonites  concerning  church  discipline.  This  began 
about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  One  party 
favored  the  rigid  execution  of  church  discipline,  while  the 
other  was  more  moderate.    Speaking  of  these  parties,  Mos- 

heim  remarks :  "  These  two  sects  are,  to 
MosMm^s  Church  ^j^^g  ^.^^^.  ^  distinguished  by  the  de- 
-ff?^.,  p.496.  '     :-  J  4i  1  ^ 

nomination  ot  jine  and  -gross,  or,  to  ex- 
press the  distinctions  in  more  intelligible  terms,  into  rigid 
and  moderate  Anabaptists.  The  former  observe,  with  the 
most  religious  accuracy,  veneration,  and  precision,  the  an- 
cient doctrine,  discipline,  and  precepts,  of  the  purer  sort 
of  Anabaptists;  the  latter  depart  much  more  from  the 
primitive  sentiments,  manners,  and  institutions  of  their 
sect,  and  more  nearly  approach  those  of  the  Protestant 
churches.  The  gross  or  modern  Anabaptists  consisted,  at 
first,  of  the  inhabitants  of  a  district  in  Xorth  Holland, 
called  Water  Land ;  and  hence  their  whole  sect  received 
the  denomination  of  Water  Landrians.'^ 

This  needs  no  comment.  It  was  the  gross  Mennonites — 
for  the  historian  uses  the  words  Anabaptists  and  Mennon- 
ites interchangeably — that  departed  from  their  original 
principles  of  purity  in  doctrine  and  practice.  The  present 
Mennonites,  who  pour  for  baptism,  are  the  descendant?  of 
the  Water  Landrians,  and  not  of  the  original  Mennonites, 


Methodism.  435 


And  when  it  is  now  stated  that  the  Mennonites  practice 
pouring  for  baptism,  or  that  they  are  not  Baptists,  we 
must  understand  the  allusion  to  be  made  to  the  descend- 
ants of  the  gross  Mennonites. 

The  departure  of  modern  Mennonites  from  the  princi- 
ples held  by  their  ancestors,  is  confirmed  by  other  histo- 
rians.    Isaac  Backus,  speaking  of  the  Mennonites  of  this 

country,  remarks  that :     "  The  Mennon- 

..1  r  r^  ^  £■    Backv£  Ch.  Ills., 

ites  also  came  irom  (jrermany,  and  are  oi         ^97 

lilvc  behavior,  but  they  are  not  truly  Bap- 
tists now.  Their  fathers  were  so  in  Luther's  day,  until 
confinement  in  prison  brought  them  to  pour  water  on  the 
heads  of  the  subjects,  instead  of  immersion  ;  and  what  w^as 
then  done  out  of  necessity  is  now  done  of  choice,  as  other 
corruptions  are.'' 

Mr.  Benedict  acknowledges  that  part  of  the  Mennonites 
have  departed  from  their  original  custom  of  immersion.  It 
is  evident  that  some  of  our  writers  have  conceded  too  much 
when  they  intimate  that  the  original  Mennonites  were  not 
immersionists.  The  original  Mennonites,  who  were  called 
Anabaptists,  passed  in  shoals  into  England,  where  they  are 
known  under  the  name  of  Baptists.  And  those  who  now 
retain  the  name  Mennonites,  have  entirely  departed  from 
the  original  doctrine  of  Menno  and  the  "  Anabaptists." 

It  may  be  proper  to  mention  the  rise  of  some  of  the 
more  modern  societies  which  have  recently  come  into  ex- 
istence. We  have  already  given  an  outline  of  the  rise  ol 
the  Lutherans,  Episcopalians,  and  Presbyterians.  From 
these  Protestant  churches  numerous  branches  put  forth. 
All  the  branches  of  Protestantism  have  their  denomina- 
tional succession  from  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  Method- 
ist society  came  out  of  the  Church  of  England.     The  rise 


436  Modern  ^Baptist  Period. 

of  this  society  was  peculiar.  It  was  for  some  time  only  a 
society  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  work  of  the  AVes- 
kys  began  as  early  as  1729;  but  it  was  in  1737  that  they 
claimed  that  "God  then  thrust  them  out  to  raise  up  a  holy 
people.''  But  it  was  not  till  the  year  1784  that  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  was  formed  as  an  independent 
body.  And  it  was  as  late  as  the  year  1845  that  the  M.  E. 
Church  South  was  established  as  a  separate  organization. 
This  society  is  wholly  destitute  of  those  peculiar  features 
which  characterize  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  has 
John  Wesley  as  its  founder  and  head.  Nathan  Bangs,  in 
his  History  of  Methodism,  says  of  Mr.  Wesley :    "He  was 

the  father  of  Methodism  in  this  country, 
His.  of  MetJwdism,         i  in  •  t   " 

.  1   J      r>  '<i\\d,  as  such,  deserves  a  conspicuous  place 

in  that  temple  which  his  own  hands  con- 
tributed so  effectually  to  erect,  that  his  sons  in  the  Gospel 
and  successors  in  the  ministry  may  look  to  him  as  an  ex- 
ample for  their  imitation,  and  be  stimulated  and  strength- 
ened in  their  work."  And  instead  of  the  Scriptures,  the 
Methodist  society  is  governed  by  the  Book  of  Discipline, 
which  is  not  even  founded  on  the  Bible;  for  the  bishops 
of  the  South  say :  "  We  esteem  it  our  duty  and  privilege 
most  earnestly  to  recommend  to  yoUy  as 
'  "  *  members  of  our  church,  our  FoEM  OF  Dis- 
cipline, which  has  been  founded  on  the  experience  of  a 
long  series  of  years;  as  also  on  the  observations  and  re- 
marks we  have  made  on  ancient  and  modern  churches.'' 
Neither  do  the  Methodists  observe  the  Bible  order  of 
the  commandments ;  for  they  place  what  they  term  baptism 
before  repentance  or  faith.  Neither  do  they  observe  the 
religious  equality  taught  in  the  Scriptures;  for  their  form 
of  church  government  is  a  hierarchy  which  gives  some 


Methodism.  437 


ecclesiastical  authority  over  others.  And,  furthermore,  the 
Methodists  have  retained  in  their  theory  the  popish  doc- 
trine of  baptismal  salvation.  They  have  slightly  modified 
the  baptismal  service  contained  in  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.  The  minister  is  required  to  pray  as  follows: 
"Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  of  thy  great  mercy 
didst  save  Noah  and  his  familv  in  the  ark    ^.   .  ,. 

JJiSCfPllTlC   T).  14:-j. 

from  perishing  by  water;  and  also  didst 
safely  lead  the  children  of  Israel  thy  people  through  the 
Red  Sea,  figuring  thereby  thy  holy  baptism :  we  beseech 
thee  of  thine  infinite  mercies,  that  thou  wilt  look  upon 
this  child:  Avash  hini  and  sanctify  Jtim  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
that  /le,  being  delivered  from  thy  wrath,  may  be  received 
into  the  ark  of  Christ's  church,^'  etc.  By  the  examination 
of  this  entire  service,  it  will  be  found  that  the  Methodists 
teach  that  infants  are  received  into  "  Christ's  holy  church  " 
by  baptism;  and  they  also  pray  that  "he,  being  delivered 
from  thy  wrath,  may  be  received  into  the  ark  of  Christ's 
church."  This  shows  that  they  expect  the  deliverance 
from  wrath  in  the  act  of  baptism  in  order  to  membership 
in  the  church.  The  majority  of  the  membership  do  not 
now  hold  this  view ;  but  it  was  taught  by  Mr.  Wesley,  and 
is  still  retained  in  the  Discipline. 

.  We  have  the  following  remarkable  statements  in  the 
Doctrinal  Tracts,  published  by  the  General  Conference, 
setting  forth  the  benefits  of  baptism  in  the  language  of  Mr. 
Wesley  himself.  Mr.  Wesley  affirms  that ;  "  By  baptism 
we  are  admitted  into  the  church,  and  con- 
sequently made  members  of  Christ,  its  ^''^{^''^  ^''""'^'^ 
Head."  "By  baptism,  we  who  were  ^by 
nature  children  of  wrath,'  are  made  the  children  of  God." 
Again,  Mr.  Wesley  says;  "In  the  ordinary  way,  there 


438  Modern  (Baptist  ^Period, 

is  no  other  means  of  entering  into  the  church,  or  into 

_  heaven.     In  all  ao-es,  the  outward  baptism 

Tracts,  p.  250.         .  ^  ^i      -  ■  a  ^         i     • 

IS  a  means  ot  the  inward ;  as  outward  cir- 
cumcision was  of  the  circumcision  of  the  heart."  In  re- 
gard to  infant  baptism,  Mr.  Wesley  remarks:  "As  to  the 

m'ounds  of  it :  if  infants  are  guilty  of  ori^:- 

Doc.  Tracts,  p.  251.  ?     ,     .      ^,         ,,  u-     .       r 

mat  sin,  then  tiiey  are  proper  subjects  ot 

baptism;    seeing,  in  the  ordinary  way,  they  can  not  be 

saved,  unless  this  be  washed  away  by  baptism.     It  has 

been  already  proved,  that  this  original  stain  cleaves  to 

every  child  of  man ;  and  that  hereby  they  are  children  of 

wrath,  and  liable  to  eternal  damnation.     It  is  true  the 

second  Adam  has  found  a  remedy  for  tlie  disease,  which 

came  upon  all  by  the  oifense  of  the  first.     But  the  benefit 

of  this  is  to  be  received  through  the  means  which  he  hath 

appointed;    through  baptism  in  particular,  which  is  the 

ordinary  means  which  he  hath  appointed  for  that  purpose; 

and  to  which  God  hath  tied  us,  though  he  may  not  have 

tied  himself.     Indeed,  where  it  can  not  be  had,  the  case  is 

different;    but  extraordinary  cases  do  not  make  void  a 

standing  rule.    This,  therefore,  is  our  first  ground :  Infants 

need  to  be  washed  from  original  sin;  therefore,  they  are 

proper  subjects  of  baptism."    Once  more  Mr.  Wesley  says : 

"  Lastly,  if  there  are  such  inestimable  benefits  conferred  in 

^     ^     ,       ^^^    baptism,  the  washino-  aw^ay  the  p-uilt  of 
Doc.  Tracts,  p.  2G0.       .    .      /  .        ,  ^ .  .     ^i    • 

original  sm,  the  engrafting  us  into  Christ 

by  making  us  members  of  his  church,  and  thereby  giving 

us  a  right  to  all  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel;  it  follows, 

that  infants  may,  yea,  ought  to  be,  baptized,  and  that  none 

ought  to  hinder  them." 

These  quotations  from  Mr.  Wesley;  the  founder  of  the 

Methodist  society,  exhibit  the  fact,  that  he  embraced  the 


Camphellism.  439 


Romish  abomination  of  baptismal  salvation,  and  even  ap- 
plied it  to  infants.  This  doctrine  is  incorporated  in  Meth- 
odism; and  this  error  of  itself  would  be  sufficient  to  invali- 
date the  claims  of  the  Methodist  society  to  be  a  true  church 
of  Christ.  Yet  it  is  evident  that  there  are  many  of  the  peo- 
ple of  God  among  the  Methodists,  who  have  mistaken  their 
duty  concerning  the  Church  of  Christ.  But  beside  all  the 
other  disqualifications,  the  Methodist  society  is  about  1700 
years  too  young,  to  be  the  church  set  up  by  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Camphellite  Church.  This  society  was  established 
under  the  leadership  of  Alexander  Campbell  in  the  year 
1827.  It  has  Mr.  Campbell  for  its  founder  and  head.  In 
the  biographical  sketch  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Campbell  by 
Mr.  Segar,  published  with  Mr.  Campbell's  Familiar  Lec- 
tures on  the  Pentateuch,  we  have  the  following  historic 
statement: 

"Alexander  Campbell  soon  became  chiefly  and  promi- 
nently known  as  the  recognized  head  of  a 
new  religious  movement,  the  purpose  of  ^^^^/-^  Campbell, 
which  was  to  restore  Primitive  Christianity 
in  all  its  simplicity  and  beauty.  Out  of  this  movement 
has  grown  a  people  who  choose  to  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians or  Disciples,  now  numbering  not  less  than  five 
hundred  thousand  members  in  the  United  States.^' 

Thus  we  have  the  acklowledgment  of  the  leading  Carap- 
bellites,  that  Alexander  Campbell  is  the  "recognized 
head  "  of  this  new  religious  movement,  out  of  which  has 
grown  the  "  Christian  Church.^^  For  further  proof  that 
Mr.  Cam})bell  was  the  founder  of  this  society,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  chapter  fourth  of  my  Text-Book  on  Campbell- 
ism.  It  is  evident  that  this  society,  which  has  Mr.  Campbell 
for  its  founder  and  head,  is  not  the  true  Church  of  Christ;  for 


440  Modern  baptist  (Period. 

the  true  church  has  Jesus  Christ  for  its  founder  and  head. 
The  Reformation  of  the  nineteenth  century  had  its  founda- 
tion in  skepticism  concerning  the  perpetuity  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ.  It  became  necessary  for  Mr.  Campbell  to 
make  the  impression,  that  the  church  had  apostatized  in 
order  that  he  might  have  a  good  excuse  to  introduce  his 
religious  movement  to  restore  Primitive  Christianity.  In 
regard  to  the  extent  of  the  apostacy,  Mr.  Campbell  says 
that,  "A  few  green  spots  here  and  there  in  the  wastes  of 

Zion,  a  few  individuals  exhibiting  the 
Mill.  Harbinger,     n     -,       nn  •      x  ^  -^i  i        -   i         i 

TT  7  rr  oTo  iruits  01  the  ancient  laith,  need  not  be  ad- 
Vol.  V,  p.  372.  .  ' 

duced  in  proof  that  the  whole  body  is  not 
full  of  wounds  and  bruises  and  putrifying  sores.  The  lep- 
rosy of  the  apostacy  has  spread  over  all  Christendom, 
Catholic  and  Protestant.^^  If  this  statement  of  the  Re- 
former is  correct,  then  the  Savior  was  mistaken,  for  the 
gates  of  hell  have  prevailed  against  his  church.  Let  God 
be  true,  if  it  makes  every  man  a  liar.  The  members  of 
this  society  are  much  divided  as  to  the  most  appropriate 
name  to  call  themselves  as  a  church.  In  some  sections 
they  call  themselves  ^''' Disciples,^^  but  in  others  they  call 
themselves  the  '^  Christian  Church,^^  and  of  late,  some  of 
them  are  contending  for  the  name  "  Church  of  God.^^  Vie 
are  informed  that  a  committee  has  recently  been  appointed 
in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  to  try,  if  possible,  to  settle  the 
controversy  about  their  name.  It  would  seem  that  they 
depend  much  on  the  name  to  establish  their  claims  to  be 
the  Church  of  Christ!  These  modern  Disciples  profess  to 
take  the  Bible  as  their  rule  of  conduct,  but  when  brought 
to  the  test,  they  set  aside  almost  half  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, as  not  being  applicable  to  the  present  dispensation. 
They  think  it  WTong  to  use  the  model  prayer,  called  "  the 


CampbellisTn.  441 


Lord's  Prayer/'  which  was  given  by  Jesus  Christ  to  his 
disciples.  And  the  numerous  instances  of  the  pardon  of 
sins  through  faith,  they  set  aside  as  not  being  examples  of 
the  present  plan  of  salvation.  They  really  seem  to  set 
aside  and  nullify  all  of  the  New  Testament  which  comes  in 
conflict  with  Mr.  Campbell's  interpretation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. They  do  not  even  take  the  whole  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment as  their  rule  of  conduct.  They  have  also  inverted 
the  order  of  the  commandments  of  Christ,  by  inverting  the 
order  of  repentance  and  faith,  and  holding  open  communion. 
And  instead  of  burying  in  baptism  those  who  are  dead  to 
or  freed  from  sin,  they  baptize  the  sinner  in  order  to  his 
pardon.  They  baptize  a  child  of  the  Devil,  in  order  to 
make  him  a  child  of  God.  On  this  point,  Mr.  Campbell 
says :  "  When  a  person  has  no  sins  to  confess,  I  do  not 
baptize  him.  Baptism  can  neither  be  the  jj^fm  jjarh.  New 
seeking,  nor  answer  of  a  good  conscience  Series.,  Vol.  IV, 
to  the  man  that  has  no  sins  from  which  to  P-  20. 
be  cleansed."  The  Campbellites  advocate  as  their  leading 
doctrine,  the  popish  dogma  of  baptismal  salvation.  Mr. 
Campbell  states  his  doctrine  thus:  '^As  regeneration  is' 
taught  to  be  equivalent  to  ^  being  born 
agahi,'  and  understood  to  be  of  the  same  ChrkUan  System, 
import  with  a  new  birth,  w^e  shall  exam- 
ine it  under  this  metaphor;  for  if  immersion  be  equivalent 
to  regeneration,  and  regeneration  be  of  the  same  import 
with  being  born  again,  then  being  born  again  and  being 
immersed  are  the  same  thing,  for  this  plain  reason:  that 
things  which  are  equal  to  the  same  thing,  are  equal  to  one 
another."  Again,  Mr.  Campbell  says:  "Hence,  neither 
praying,  singing, -reading,  repenting,  sor-  Mill  Har.,  Extra, 
rowing,  resolving,  nor  waiting  to  be  better.  No.  I,  p.  35. 


442  Modern  (Baptist  ^Period. 

was  the  converting  act;  immersion  alone  was  that  act  of 
turning  to  God.^^ 

A  volume  might  be  filled  with  quotations  to  the  same 
effect,  from  the  leading  Reformers.  For  the  full  discus- 
sion of  the  claims  of  this  new  sect,  which  is  now  about  43 
years  old,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  Text-Book  on  Camp- 
bellism.  This  society  is  about  1800  years  too  young  to  be 
the  church  set  up  by  Jesus  Christ;  and  it  is  also  wholly 
destitute  of  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  There  are  many  other  societies  of  recent  origin, 
claiming  to  be  branches  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  which  we 
have  not  space  to  examine.  And  several  new  societies 
are  now  in  process  of  organization,  which  will  soon  be 
contending  for  the  privileges  and  authority  of  veritable 
churches  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  world  must  yet  learn  that 
all  the  societies  established  in  uninspired  wisdom  since  the 
time  of  Christ  on  earth,  have  no  just  claims  whatever  to  be 
regarded  as  either  the  kingdom  of  Christ  or  any  part  of  it. 


(kise  of  Churchjs.  443 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


COXCLUSION. 

In  the  foregoing  work  we  found,  tliat  the  objections 
urged  against  the  antiquity  of  the  Baptists  as  a  denomina- 
tion are  wholly  without  foundation.  No  point  in  history 
has  yet  been  found,  this  side  of  the  days  of  Jesus  Christ 
on  earth,  where  the  Baptist  denomination  had  its  origin. 
Notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  of  bitter  foes,  no  break  has 
yet  been  discovered  in  the  chain  of  Baptist  succession. 
There  has  been  no  point  of  time  since  the  apostolic  age, 
when  it  can  be  said,  in  truth,  there  were  no  witnesses  for 
Christ  on  earth  holding  the  faith  and  practice  of  Baptists. 
Every  other  professed  Christian  denomination,  either 
admits  a  human  origin  in  modern  times,  or  claims  its  suc- 
cession through  the  Romish  apostacy.  But  as  the  Romish 
succession  is  the  succession  of  Antichrist,  therefore  those 
churches  whose  history  is  identified  with  the  Church  of 
Rome,  can  lay  no  claim  whatever  to  the  true  succession. 
The  Baptists  are  the  only  people  on  earth  who  claim  a 
succession  from  the  apostolic  age,  independent  of  the 
Church  of  Rome;  and  as  Jesus  Christ  has  a  church  against 
which  the  gates  of  hell  have  never  prevailed,  which  has 
existed  independent  of  the  Romish  hierarchy,  therefore  the 
Baptists  are  really  the  only  claimants  to  this  succession. 
All  others,  by  their  own  acknowledgments,  have  no  just 
claims  to  be  the  church  established  by  Jesiis  Christ  himself, 


444  Conclusion. 


wliicli  has  been  perpetuated  to  the  present  time.  We  take 
it  for  granted,  that  every  denomination  is  competent  to 
give  the  leading  facts  of  its  own  history.  Even  the  most 
depraved  denominations  except  the  Catholics  have  suffi- 
cient candor  and  honesty  to  give  a  correct  account  of  their 
own  origin.  The  Romish  Church  herself,  confesses  that 
many  of  her  rites  and  ceremonies  have  been  introduced 
since  the  apostolic  age.  She  acknowledges  that  she  has 
changed  the  ordinances  of  Jesus  Christ  on  the  supposed 
authority  of  the  keys.  Even  Rome  herself  with  her  pres- 
ent rites  and  ceremonies  does  not  claim  an  apostolic  origin. 
The  Lutheran  Church  claims  its  origin  from  Martin  Luther, 
about  the  year  1525.  It  has  no  succession  beyond  the 
sixteenth  century,  unless  it  was  the  Romish  succession. 
And  though  the  Church  of  England  claims  apostolic  suc- 
cession through  Rome  herself,  yet  she  is  compelled  to  look 
to  King  Henry  YIIL,  about  the  year  1530,  for  her  origin 
separate  from  the  Romish  jurisdiction.  The  Presbyterian 
Church  boldly  claims  the  "  godly-learned'^  man,  John  Cal- 
vin, as  its  founder.  Its  succession  extends  no  further  back  in 
history  than  the  year  1541.  The  various  branches  of  Pres- 
byterianism  are  of  still  more  recent  date.  The  Methodist 
Church  glories  in  John  Wesley  as  her  founder  and  head. 
She  can  not  go  beyond  the  year  1729,  for  the  germ  of  that 
system  of  ecclesiasticism  known  as  Methodism.  And  it 
was  not  until  the  year  1784  that  Metholism  was  rent  off 
from  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  Cumberland  Presbyte- 
rian Church  claims  its  origin  from  the  fouith  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1810.  It  has  Messrs.  Ewing,  King,  and  McAdow, 
as  its  founders.  The  Campbellite  society,  which  makes 
higher  pretensions  than  all  the  modern  sects  combined, 
boast  of  Alexander  Campbell,  of  Bethany,  Virginia,  as  the 


(kise  of  Churches.  445 

head  of  their  religious  movement.  They  claim  the  year 
1827  as  the  elate  of  their  origin  as  an  organized  ecclesi- 
astical body.  After  all  their  claims  to  be  the  Christian 
Church,  and  their  noise  about  Pentecost,  they  are  forced  to 
admit  the  humiliating  fact,  that  as  an  organization,  they 
are  not  yet  fifty  years  old;  and  that  they  fall  short  of  the 
day  of  Pentecost  nearly  1800  years.  But  the  Baptists 
boldly  claim  Jesus  Christ  as  their  founder  and  head,  and 
a  continued  succession  through  succeeding  ages  from  the 
apostles  to  the  present  time.  And  if  the  Baptists  do  not 
give  a  correct  statement  of  their  own  origin,  they  are  the 
only  denomination  outside  of  the  Church  of  Pome  too  dis- 
honest to  give  the  truth  of  their  own  history.  But  if 
Baptists  are  too  dishonest  to  tell  the  truth  as  to  their 
origin,  then  other  denominations  ought  not  to  desire  relig- 
ious correspondence  with  them ;  but  if  their  claims  are  true, 
then  they  are  the  only  people  who  possess  the  true  church 
succession  All  who  have  not  embraced  skeptical  views  in 
regard  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  admit 
that  that  kingdom  has  been  preserved  to  the  present  time; 
therefore,  there  is  now  on  earth  one  church,  or  kingdom, 
which  has  continued  all  the  time  in  existence,  from  the 
apostolic  age  down  to  the  present;  but  as  all  other  churches, 
except  the  Baptist  Church,  are  known  to  have  originated 
in  uniiispired  wisdom,  long  since  the  apostolic  age,  there- 
fore the  Baptist  Church  has  continued  from  the  apostolic 
age  to  the  present  time. 

As  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  work,  no  Baptist  has 
ever  attempted  to  locate  the  origin  of  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation since  the  days  of  Christ  and  the  apostles.  In  chap- 
ter first,  w^e  have  the  testimony  of  Benedict  the  historian, 
Dr.  Howell,  and  J.  L.  Waller,  in  favor  of  Baptist  succes- 


44G  Conclusion. 


sion;  all  claiming  the  perpetuity  of  the  church  from  the 
time  of  Jesus  Christ.  Mr.  Orchard,  the  historian,  says; 
^'I  have  demonstrated,  so  far  as  human  testimony  is  al- 
lowed to  prove  any  fact,  that  The  Bap- 
Orchard's  Bapt  ^^^^  CnuRCH,  as  the  Church  of  Christ, 
Hw.,  vol.  11,1^.11.  .  ^  ^ 

has  existed  from  the  day  of  Pentecost  to 

the  privileged  period." 

Mr.  Benedict  says,  that  "  The  Welsh  Baptists  have  the 

fullest   confidence   that   their   sentiments 

Ben,  His.  Bapt,     i  i  i-       i    •      j-i,   •  j.  • 

^  '    nave  always  Jived  in  their  mountainous 

retreats,  from  the  apostolic  age  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  although  the  people  were  not  always  congregated 
in  churches.  Their  country,  in  their  estimation,  was 
another  Piedmont,  where  the  witnesses  for  the  truth  found 
shelter  and  concealment  in  times  of  universal  darkness  and 
superstition.'' 

I  had  designed  to  furnish  a  sketch  of  the  Welsh  Baptist 
history,  showing  their  claims  to  an  existence  in  their  mount- 
ain retreats  up  to  the  apostolic  times,  but  my  space  for- 
bids. This  universal  claim  of  the  Welsh  Baptists  to 
church  succession,  should  have  great  weight  as  evidence 
on  this  question.  No  living  historian,  whether  friend  or 
foe,  can  find  the  origin  of  the  Welsh  Baptists  this  side  of . 
the  days  of  the  apostles.  Again,  we  have  the  testimony 
of  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  indorsing  the 
language  of  Mr.  Pengilly,  as  follows :  '^  Our  principles  are 

as  old  as  Christianity.     We  acknowledge 

apis       anua  ,    ^^  founder  but  Christ.     With  enthusiasts 
p.  82. 

in  Germany,  or  in  any  age  or  country,  wc 

have  no  connection,  and  our  forefathers  never  had.  Enthu- 
siast may  be  designated  by  the  same  name,  but  that  proves 
nothing.     Persons  holding  our  distinctive  principles — i.  c, 


(kise  of  Churches.  441 

the  baptism  of  believers  only — have  appeared  in  all  ages  of 
the  Christian  era.  From  Christ  to  nearly  the  end  of  the 
second  century,  there  were  no  others  ;  at  least,  if  there 
were  any,  their  history  is  a  blank." 

On  Baptist  succession,  Dr.  Peck  remarks  that,  "Bap- 
tists in  every  age,  from  the  apostles,  re- 

mamed  true  to  the  kingdom  which  Christ       ^^t 
^  p.  197. 

came  to  establish." 

Speaking  of  the  conversion  of  Menno,  Mr.  Belcher  says: 
"This  great  change  took  place  in  1535;  it  endued  Menno 

with  a  martyr  spirit.     Now,  with  a  peni- 

,      .    1         ,1  ,       .1      -xi    rii    •  i.  u      Religious  Denom., 

tent  heart,  he  was  buried  with  Christ  by       ^^..^ 

baptism,  and  joined  the  martyr  church  of 
the  New  Testament — that  church  more  ancient  than 
Rome — persecuted  in  every  age,  because  so  pure.  It  is 
now  too  late  in  the  day  to  confound  this  primitive  people 
with  the  ^  Munster  Sect,'  because  both  were  called  by  their 
enemies,  ^  Anabaptists.'  This  is  proof  of  pitiable  ignorance, 
licarned  Romanists  knew  better.  'If  the  truth  of  relig- 
ion,' said  Cardinal  Hosius,  President  of  the  Council  of 
Trent  in  1555,  'were  to  be  judged  of  by  the  readiness  and 
cheerfulness  which  a  man  of  any  sect  shows  in  suffering, 
then  the  opinions  and  persuasions  of  no  sect  can  be  truer 
or  surer  than  those  of  the  Anabaptists  (Baptists);  since 
there  have  been  none  for  these  1200  years  past  that  have 
been  more  grievously  punished.'  Yet  Pope  Pius  II.  con- 
fessed, in  1460,  'Neither  the  decress  of  popes,  nor  armies 
of  Christians  could  extirpate  them.'  'All  sorts  of  people/ 
said  Seisselius,  Archbishop  of  Turin  in  1470,  'have  re- 
peatedly endeavored,  but  in  vain,  to  root  them  out ;  for 
even  yet,  contrary  to  the  opinion  of  all  men,  they  still 
remain  conquerors,  or  at  least  wholly  invincible.'     Such 


448  Conclusion. 


jire  the  concessions  of  illustrious  Romanists  to  the  long, 
unbroken  line  of  our  meek  martyr  witnesses."  Thus  we 
have  the  admissions  of  Catholics  themselves,  that  they 
have  never  been  able  to  succeed  in  breaking  the  line  of 
Baptist  succession.  Time  would  fail  to  introduce  the  tes- 
timony of  all  the  Baptist  writers  who  claim  the  church 
succession  from  the  apostolic  age.  We  conclude  the  list 
with  the  testimony  of  J.  Newton  Brown,  the  learned  author 
of  the  Religious  Encyclopedia,  as  follows:  "The  Baptists 

have  no  difficulty  whatever,  in  tracing  up 
K.^         ^y^^)    their  principles  and  their  churches  to  the 

apostolic  age.  It  has  been  often  said  by 
our  enemies,  that  we  originated  in  the  German  city  of  Mun- 
ster,  in  1534.  Lamentable  must  be  the  weakness  and  ig- 
norance of  such  an  assertion,  come  from  whom  it  may.  It 
were  easy  to  cite  eminent  Pedobaptist  historians  to  refute 
this  calumny — especially  Linborch  and  Mosheim,  of  the 
last  century."     Again,  Mr.  BroAvn  remarks,  that,  "  The 

Baptists — though  for  the  most  part  of  the 
Bapm  Martyrs,     ^^^^^,  ^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^^^^  ^,.^j^  .^^  ^^.^^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^^^ 

unknown  to  fame,  as  were  the  primitive 
Christians — have  yet,  in  almost  all  ages,  had  of  their  num- 
ber, men  of  the  most  eminent  learning  and  ability,  who 
died  as  martyrs  to  the  faith.  From  the  time  of  Novatian, 
indeed,  it  has  been  customary  with  their  adversaries  to  call 
the  whole  body  by  the  name  of  its  most  distinguished 
leader,  as  if  they  were  a  new  sect,  of  which  he  was  the 
*  originator.  Thus  the  Cathari  were  called  Novatians — 
then  Paulicians — then  Petrobrusians,  Henricians,  Joseph- 
ists  —  then  Arnoldists,  Waldenses,  Lollards,  Mennon- 
ites ;  nor  w^ere  they  ever  permitted  to  bear  their  present 
name  of  Baptists  until  after  their  legal  toleration  in  Eng- 


(Prophets  on  Succession.  449 

land,  ill  1688.  Yet  to  them,  as  we  have  seen,  belong 
all  the  inspired  writers  of  the  New  Testament — the  sources 
of  our  Christian  literature — Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  John, 
James,  Jude,  Peter,  and  Paul  himself,  the  accomplished 
pupil  of  Gamaliel.'^  In  fact,  the  whole  Baptist  family  look 
to  Jesus  Christ  as  their  founder  and  head,  and  claim  the 
succession  or  perpetuity  of  the  church  from  the  apos- 
tolic age  to  the  present  time.  The  host  of  Baptist  martyrs 
in  past  ages,  who  sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood, 
claim  the  succession,  or  perpetuity  of  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  ancient  prophets  themselves,  while 
moved  with  prophetic  inspiration,  pointed  out  in  glow- 
ing strains  the  setting  up  and  perpetuity  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.     They  said,  ^^  In  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the 

God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which    ^     .  ,  ^ 

.  Daniel  2:  44. 

shall  never  be  destroyed:  and  the  kingdom 

shall  not  be  left  to  other  i:)eople,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces 

and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  forever  J' 

And  the  same  holy  prophets  were  permitted  to  see  the 

final  triumphs  of  the  church,  and  her  glorious  reign  over 

the  kingdoms  of  the  earth;  they  say:  "And  it  shall  come 

to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the  mountain   ^   .  ,    „     ^ 

PI      T       HI  1111  11-1     !•      Isaiah   2:    2-4. 

01  the  Liord  s  house  shall  be  established  in 

the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the 
hills;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it.  And  many  peo- 
ple shall  go  and  say.  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob ; 
and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  hid 
paths:  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word 
of  the  Ijord  from  Jerusalem.  And  he  shall  judge  among 
the  nations,  and  shall  rebuke  many  people ;  and  they  shall 
beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into 


450  Conclusion. 


pruning  hooks :  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  na- 
tion, neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more.'^  And  Jesus 
Christ  who  was  dead  and  is  alive  forevermore,  taught  the 
succession,  or  perpetuity  of  the  church  when  he  said,  '^  Upon 
this  rock  I  Avill  build  my  church  ;  and  the 

iratthewlQ:   18.  ^  o  ^     a^     ^     ^^         .  -1  . 

gates  01  hell  shall  not  prevail  aganist  it. 
And  He  pointed  out  the  same  doctrine  of  church  succes- 
sion, when  he  gave  the  solemn  emblems  of  his  broken 
body  and  shed  blood,  to  be  observed  in  his  kingdom  un- 
til his  second  coming;  and  the  Savior  promises  to  be  with 
his  church  always,  even  until  the  end  of  the  world. 

We,  as  Baptists,  believe  with  the  apostle  Paul,  that  wg 

have  received  "  a  kino;dom  that  can  not  be 

mhrews   12:    28.  „  .,      .    "^         .        -,   ,.  . 

moved     irom  its  glorious  loundation;  and 

though  we  are  now  regarded  as  a  "sect,^'  and  every-where 

spoken  against,  we  believe  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant, 

when  "The  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of 

_     .  ,  „         the    kino^dom    under  the   whole    heaven, 

Daniel  7:   27.  ,     ,,  ,         .  ,  i       ^    i  • 

shall  be  given  to  the  people  ot  the  saints 

of  the   Most   High,  whose    kingdom    is    an    everlasting 

kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  him." 

And  though  the  Bride  of  Christ   is   yet    despised   and 

rejected  of  men,  yet  she  will,  at  last,   "Look  forth   as 

the   morning,  fair  as   the  moon,  clear  as   the   sun,  and 

terrible  as  an   army  with  banners,"    and  in  her  joyful 

marriage-day  will  be  "  Heard  as  it  were  the  voice  of  a 

^  ^       pTcat  multitude,  and  as  the  voice  of  many 

Bev.    19:    6-8.       ^  [  .         ..,,,,       "^ 

Avaters,  and  as  the  voice  oi  mighty  thun- 

derings,  saying.  Alleluia;  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent 

reigneth.     Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to 

him :    for  the   marriage  of  the  Lamb  is   come,  and  his 

wife  hath  made  herself  ready." 


Church  Succession.  451 

APPENDIX. 

BY 

PROF.  A.  S.  WORRELL, 

OP 

LEXINGTON,  KY. 


The  church  question  is  destined,  sooner  or  later,  to  shake 
existing  ecclesiasticisms  to  their  foundations.  The  truly 
converted  man  wishes  to  know  what  the  true  church  is  ; 
and  when  this  important  information  is  obtained,  he  will 
be  disposed  to  seek  membership  therein.  Could  the  his- 
tory of  the  Church  of  Christ  be  brought  fairly  before  the 
Christian  world,  the  truly  pious  and  devoted  among  the 
numerous  sects  of  Christendom,  would,  in  many  instances, 
leave  their  present  moorings,  and  seek  a  place  within  her 
port. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  existing  denominations  back- 
ward, we  find  several  of  them  falling  out  before  we  travel 
a  century  in  the  past ;  and  when  we  reach  the  beginning 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  we  find  only  two  leading  denom- 
inations— the  Baptist  and  the  Catholic.  These  two  .oppos- 
ing organizations — the  one  persecuted,  and  the  other  jyer- 
sccuting — run  backward  into  the  fourth,  or  possibly  the 
third  century  anno  domini.  They  are  the  only  parties 
who  have  any  just  claims  for  church  honors,  if  it  be  ad- 


452  Appendix. 


mitted  that  the  Church  of  Christ  has  had  a  continuous 
existence  since  its  organization.  The  "  Eeformed  Church'' 
(Campbellite)  is  about  eighteen  centuries  too  young;  the 
Metliodist  Episcopal  and  Protestant  Methodist,  more  than 
seventeen  centuries  ;  all  other  modern  Pedobaptist  organi- 
zations, at  Ic^fit  fifteen  centuries, — to  assume  the  honor  of 
being  the  Church  of  Christ.  If  in  nothing  else,  they  arc 
greatly  Avanting  in  time.  All  Pedobaptist  churches  must 
trace  their  history,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  the  Catholic 
Church.  They  have  Catholic  baptism,  so-(;alled.  The 
*^  mode"  of  their  baptism  rests  only  upon  Catholic  author- 
ity. And  the  only  possible  succession  which  they  can 
claim  for  their  baptism  (sprinkling  or  pouring),  is  through 
Catholicism.  If  the  Catholic  Church  falls  short  of  the 
proper  age,  by  two  or  three  centuries,  of  course  all  those 
sects,  deriving  their  origin  from  her,  must,  even  if  they 
should  make  good  their  claims  since  the  Reformation,  fall 
short  by  the  same  period.  AYe  see  no  possible  ground 
which  modern  Pedobaptists  can  urge,  in  support  of  their 
claims,  to  be  the  true  churches  of  Christ;  for,  if  the  Cath- 
olic was  the  true  church  at  the  time  of  the  Ileformation, 
none  of  these  anathematized  schisms  could,  with  reason, 
lay  claim  to  that  honor ;  and  if  the  Catholic  was  not  the 
true  church,  those  coming  out  of  her,  could  not  be  (since 
"water  can  not  rise  above  its  level");  in  either  event, 
Protestant  claims  to  be  i\\Q.  church,  are  null  and  void.  The 
contest  for  church  honors,  therefore,  lies  between  the  Bap- 
tists and  Catholics.  And  it  has  already  been  said  that 
the  Catholics  can  not  trace  their  history  further  back  than 
about  the  third  century.  Indeed,  we  have  the  New  Tes- 
tament history  of  many  of  the  churches  founded  by  the 
apostles  and  early  Christians;  and,  in  that  history,  noth- 


Church  Siiccczsion.  453 

ing  is  more  patent  than  that  there  was  no  Catholic  Church 
then  in  existence.  Nor  does  the  sacred  record  know  any- 
thing of  Catholicism  except  as  "  the  mystery  of  iniquity/' 
"  Babylon/'  "  the  mother  of  harlots/'  etc.  Catholicism  is 
the  great  counterfeit  church — the  organization  of  Satan — 
devised  with  special  reference  to  the  overthrow  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  for  the  purpose  of  deluding  and 
ruining  souls  !  Her  own  vile  superstitions,  her  manifest 
idolatry,  her  corrupt  faith,  her  fiendish  spirit  of  persecu- 
tion, all  proclaim  her  origin,  as  not  from  heaven,  but  from 
the  bottomless  pit !  If,  therefore,  the  Baptists  have  no 
other  rival,  in  the  historical  contest,  the  case  need  not  be 
argued  further — the  Baptists  are  the  Church  of  Christ,  if 
he  has  any  such  organization  on  earth. 

Here  it  is  proper  to  remark,  that  the  existence  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  does  not  dci)end,  in  any  sense,  upon  her 
being  able  to  prove,  from  uninspired  historical  records,  her 
continued  existence  in  the  past.  Christ  built  his  church  be- 
fore he  ascended  to  glory,  and  he  promised  that  '^  the  gates 
of  hell  should  not  prevail  against  it."  Now,  what  did  he 
build  9  Something  already  in  existence  ?  This  must  have 
been  the  case,  if  he  referred  merely  to  his  spiritual  follow- 
ers. He  had  numbers  of  these  before  the  declaration,  that 
he  Svould  build  the  church,  was  made.  Besides,  the  very 
term — build — proves  that  it  was  to  be  a  structure  of  some 
sort — an  organization  composed  of  different  individual 
elements.  The  elect,  in  the  aggregate,  could  not  have  been 
meant  by  the  Savior ;  for  these  had  already  been  chosen 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world ;  and  he  has  never,  to 
this  day,  organized  them  into  a  church.  They  will  form 
a  glorious  church  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection. 
AVhen,  therefore,  the  Savior  said   he  would  build    his 


454  Appendix. 


church,  he  manifestly  had  reference  to  a  congregation  of 
crue  worshipers — such  as  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  the 
church  at  Ephesus,  etc. — an  organization  whose  duty  it 
would  be  to  proclaim  the  Word  of  Life  to  a  lost  world, 
observe  and  perpetuate  the  ordinances  in  their  purity. 
Now,  it  smacks  of  infidelity  to  doubt  that  such  an  organ- 
ization or  company  of  Christians  has  existed  somewhere, 
ever  since  the  first  church  was  established.  And  to  sup- 
pose, that  before  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  the  church 
has  existed  in  all  ages  since  its  first  establishment,  unless 
it  can  first  be  established  by  historical  proof,  is  to  discredit 
the  statement  of  Christ,  and  open  the  flood-gates  of  infi- 
delity. It  should  be  remembered  that  very  few  of  the 
facts  of  past  ages  have  ever  been  recorded.  Many  insti- 
tutions, large  and  flourishing,  may  have  existed,  and  yet 
there  may  have  been  no  historian  to  take  notice  of  them. 
Can  we  say,  that,  because  any  particular  event  is  not  re- 
corded, it  never  happened  ?  Those  who  will  not  believe 
that  the  church  has  existed  continuously  since  its  organi- 
zation, virtually  assume,  as  it  seems  to  us,  that  everything 
important  has  been  recorded  in  each  successive  age  !  A 
monstrous  assumption,  indeed !  We  urge,  therefore,  that 
we  should  believe  that  the  church  has  had  a  continuous 
existence,  even  if  history  said  not  one  word  about  it,  since 
we  should  believe  God  rather  than  man  ;  yea,  ^^Let  God 
be  true,  and  every  man  a  liar.^'  History  can  not  make 
the  words  of  the  Almighty  more  credible ! 

It  should  be  remembered  also,  that,  situated  as  the 
church  was  for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  she  was  in  a 
very  poor  condition  to  write  her  own  history.  "  Driven 
into  the  wilderness/^  and  forced  to  conceal  her  existence, 
for  a  great  portion  of  the  time,  from  her  deadly  persecu- 


Church  Succession.  455 

tors — poor,  wretched,  wandering  about  in  dens  and  caves 
of  earth — she  felt  little  disposed  to  write  anything.  In- 
deed, it  would  have  been  wrong — suicidal — for  her  to  have 
furnished  the  names  and  doings  of  those  whose  lives  were 
eagerly  sought  by  th^ir  blood-thirsty  accusers  and  perse- 
cutors. To  expect  that  they  would  have  given  anything 
like  a  full  record  of  their  works,  is  wholly  unreasonable. 
The  absence  of  a  connected  history  of  the  church,  is  what 
a  reasonable  being,  under  all  circumstances,  would  natu- 
rally expect. 

The  history  of  the  church,  therefore,  has  been  written, 
in  the  main — so  far  as  it  has  been  written  at  all — by  her 
enemies.  The  bloody  statutes  and  decrees  of  kings  and 
rulers,  instigated  by  Satanic  malice,  constitute  the  princi- 
pal portion  of  the  written  history  of  the  church  during 
much  of  the  jieriod  of  persecution  ;  but  for  such  records, 
we  would  know  but  little  of  her  existence  (except  as  we 
believe  the  Divine  promise  in  the  absence  of  all  other 
proof),  for  one  thousand  years  previous  to  the  Reforma- 
tion. It  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  that  a  "  church,  scat- 
tered^' by  persecution,  is  not  necessarily  annihilated.  The 
church  at  Jerusalem  was  persecuted  and  scattered,  yet  they 
did  not  forfeit,  by  being  thus  maltreated,  the  right  of  as- 
sembling together  Avhenever  and  wherever  they  could  ;  and 
when  they  did  so  assemble  for  the  purpose  of  divine  wor- 
ship, they  were  just  as  truly  the  church  as  they  were  befor^j 
they  were  scattered.  Apply  this  principle  generally,  and 
we  have  little  difficulty,  in  a  historical  point  of  ^'iew,  ii) 
affirming  the  continuous  existence  of  the  church. 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  there  were  faithful  fjlloworw 
of  Christ  during  all  the  period  of  persecution;  now,  if 
there  were  such,  whenever  they  came  together,  in  the  Spirit 


456  Appendix. 


of  Christ,  to  observe  the  ordinances,  or  otherwise  engage 
:n  the  worship  of  God,  there  the  church  existed.  Of  course 
this  view  of  the  church  excludes  some  notions  which  we 
are  wont  to  regard  as  inseparable  from  her  existence,  such 
as  a  house  for  worship  and  a  regular  time  for  meeting.  A 
close  organization,  having  a  regular  time  and  place  for 
meeting,  is  not  necessary,  under  all  circumstances,  to  the 
existence  of  a  church.  These  are,  indeed,  great  conven- 
iences ;  but  where  adverse  circumstances,  over  wliich  tlie 
church  has  no  control,  disperse  and  make  it  necessary  for 
the  members  to  meet  only  occasionally  and  at  irregular  in- 
tervals— in  caves  and  at  night — who  will  say  that  such  a 
company  of  faithful  followers  of  the  Lamb  are  not  a  church  ? 
Would  a  century  of  such  oppression  crush  out  the  life  of 
a  church,  provided  it  assemble  occasionally  for  divine  wor- 
ship? Manifestly  not.  In  this  way,  we  doubt  not,  the 
Church  of  Christ  was  perpetuated,  for  long  intervals,  and 
perhaps  centuries,  during  the  uninterrupted  sway  of  the 
man  of  sin. 

All  the  facts  of  history — so  far  as  they  have  been  trans- 
mitted to  us — go  to  show  that  the  church,  in  accordance 
wdth  the  preceding  view,  has  existed  continuously  from 
the  days  of  its  organization  up  to  the  present  time.  Sup- 
pose, however,  that  some  one  should  assume  the  opposite 
view,  and  urge  that  the  church  became  extinct  under  the 
persecutions  of  Antichrist,  he  will  then  be  forced  to  adopt 
one  of  the  following  positions :  1.  That  the  Savior's  prom- 
ise, to  perpetuate  the  church,  failed ;  or,  2.  That  the  Cath- 
olic is  the  true  church ;  or,  3.  That  the  promise  of  the 
Savior  had  no  reference  to  the  church  as  an  organized 
body.  To  adopt  the  first  view,  is  to  become  an  open  in- 
fidel ;  to  take  the  second,  is  to  side  with  Antichrist ;  and 


Church  Succession.  .457 

to  choose  the  third,  is  to  assume  a  heavier  burden  than  to 
admit,  without  perfect  historical  proof,  the  perpetuity  of 
the  church  as  at  first  organized. 

1.  The  one  who  adopts  this  latter  view,  must  prove, 
by  undoubted  testimony,  that  the  Savior  did  not  use  the 
word  "church''  in  liis  promise  to  perpetuate  it,  in  any  such 
sense  as  to  include  the  idea  of  an  assembly.  If  he  assumes 
that  it  means  simply  ^Hhe  electj^  or  the  aggregate  of  faith- 
ful followers  living  at  any  particular  period",  he  will,  be- 
sides the  difficulty  above  suggested,  (2)  be  forced  to  at- 
tach a  very  fanciful  meaning  to  the  word  '^  build,  ^  in  the 
text  in  which  the  Savior  says,  "I  will  build  ray  church." 
"  Build ''  what  ?  "  Build  "  "  the  elect '' !  "  Build  "  "  the 
aggregate  of  faithful  followers  living  at  any  particular 
period  " !  We  should  dread  the  onus  of  such  an  interpre- 
tation !  How  much  more  simple  is  it  to  believe  that  Christ 
did  build  his  church — models  of  which  were  multii)licd  by 
the  apostles  and  Christians  who  succeeded  them  in  all 
ages — that  he  has  preserved  it  in  all  the  essential  elements 
of  its  existence  ever  since;  and  hence,  that  it  exists  at  the 
present  time !  This  is  our  firm  opinion — an  opinion  which, 
in  our  judgment,  is  beset  with  fewer  difficulties  than  any 
other.  Ecclesiastical  history  (we  refer  not  to  the  history 
of  Catholicism),  is  particularly  valuable :  because, 

1.  A  knowledge  of  it  will  tend  to  bring  together,  in  one 
body,  all  the  followers  of  Christ,  many  of  whom  now  occupy 
places  in  organizations  hostile  to  the  true  church.  With 
their  present  amount  of  ecclesiastical  knowledge,  many  con- 
verted persons  regard  the  numerous  so-called  "evangel- 
ical churches"  as  co-ordinate  branches  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  whereas,  if  they  could  know  that  there  is  a  church 
on  earth,  and  in  their  midst,  whose  history  connects  back 


458  Appendix. 


with  the  apostolic  churches,  and  which  was  "  built "  by 
Christ  himself,  they  would  be  disposed  to  seek  places  in  it, 
and  contribute  their  part  toward  furthering  its  interests. 

2.  Another  advantage  would  result  from  the  preva- 
lence of  a  correct  historical  knowledge  of  the  church  :  It 
would  serve  to  expose  the  false  claims  of  other  rival  or- 
ganizations, and  thus  cripple  their  influence,  and  break 
the  spell  which  they  have  imposed  upon  millions  of  earth's 
inhabitants,  many  of  whom  are  the  children  of  God. 

3.  Finally,  it  would  cause  the  members  of  the  church 
to  prize  their  privileges  more  highly,  love  her  "sacred 
courts  '^  more  ardently,  and  labor  more  zealously  to  pro- 
mote her  prosperity. 

In  the  present  work  the  author  does  not  profess  to  in- 
troduce things  wholly  unknown  heretofore ;  but  he  has 
sought  and  obtained  materials  from  various  reliable  sources, 
compiled  and  arranged  them  in  a  convenient  form  for  refer- 
ence. That  his  collations  shed  light  upon  the  subject  of 
"church  succession,"  in  a  historical  point  of  view,  will,  we 
think,  be  readily  confessed.  The  work,  which  has  cost  the 
author  no  little  labor,  will  serve  the  cause  of  truth,  and 
fill  an  important  place  in  our  popular  denominational  lit- 
erature. The  author  deserves  the  thanks  of  the  great  Bap- 
tist family  for  his  untiring  energy  and  great  zeal  in  the 
^Master's  cause. 


ABBREVIATIONS. 


Rel.  Benom.  in  U.  S.  and  G.  B. — Religious  Benominationa  in  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain.  By  Charles  Desilver.  This  is  a  work  of 
about  800  pages  ;  and  it  is  the  most  reliable  work  on  the  history  of 
denominations  which  could  be  prepared,  from  the  fact  that  the  history 
of  each  denomination  is  furnished  by  a  leading  writer  of  its  own  com- 
munion. 

Old  Bapt.  Test.— Old  Baptist  Test.  By  Dr.  John  M.  "Watson,  a  leading 
Anti-Mission  Baptist  of  Tennessee. 

Letters  to  Br.  Watson.  By  Dr.  B.  B.  C.  Howell.  These  Letters  were  first 
published  in  "  The  Baptist,"  and  afterward  sent  out  in  tract  form 
of  50  pages. 

Phil.  Bapt.  Asso. — Philadeljyhia  Baptist  Association.  This  work  contains 
the  Minutes  of  the  Philadelphia  Baptist  Association,  from  1707  to 
1807 — one  hundred  years — bound  in  a  book  of  475  pages.  This  is  a 
work  of  great  historical  value. 

Crosby's  His.  Eng.  Bapt. —  Crosby's  History  of  the  English  Baptists.  In 
four  volumes.  By  Thomas  Crosby,  a  deacon  in  Dr.  Gill's  church. 
This  work  was  published  in  1738,  and  contains  matter  of  great  value. 

Mos.  Church  His. — Mosheim's  Church  History.  "We  have  quoted  Macclaine's 
translation.  The  learned  author  of  this  work  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  deeply  prejudiced  against  the  Baptists. 

Jones'  Ch.  His. — Jones'  Church  History.  By  "William  Jones.  Two  vol- 
umes in  one.  From  the  fifth  London  edition.  "  Published  by  the 
Trustees  of  the  Free-Will  Baptist  Connection."  This  is  a  work  of 
great  value. 

liob.'s  Eccl.  Res. — Robinson's  Ecclesiastical  Researches .  Published  at  Cam- 
bridge, in  1792.  Though  Robinson  himself  was  a  Baptist  of  Socinian 
sentiments,  yet  this  work  is  of  great  importance  in  an  historic  point 
of  view. 


460  Abbreviations. 


Perrin's  His.  Wald. — Perrin'a  History  of  the  Waldensea.  By  Jean  Paul 
Perrin.  Published  in  1847,  by  Griffith  k  Simon,  in  Philadelphia. 
This  edition  was  published  under  the  influence  of  the  Presbyterians, 
with  an  Essay  on  the  Present  Waldenses,  by  Kobert  Baird,  D.  D.,  and 
a  Recommendation,  by  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D. 

His.  Wald.,  A.  S.  S.  U. — History  of  the  Waldensea.  By  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union. 

Monaatier'a  Hia.  Vaud. — Monaatier'a  Hiatory  of  the  Vaudoia  Church. 

Neand.  Hia.  Chr.  Jlel.  and  Ch. — Neander'a  Hiatory  of  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion and  Church  during  the  Three  First  Centuries,  Translated  from 
the  German,  by  H.  J.  Rose.  Fifth  edition.  Published  in  Philadel- 
phia, in  1844, 

Rel.  Denom. — Religious  Denominations.     By  Joseph  Belcher. 

The  foregoing  list  contains  but  a  few  of  the  works  quoted 
in  this  book. 


GENERAL.    INDEX. 


PAOK. 


Apostolic  Churches  Missionary,           -            -            -  -        33 

Ancient  Waldenses  supported  denorninatiorial  schools,  40 

Atlantic  Cable  ofSuccession,  -            -            -            -  -        77 

Albigenses  and  Waldenses  tiie  same  class  of  peo])h!,        -  112 

Ancient  Waidenses  Haijtists,        .        -            -            -  -      121 

All  the  irienibers  of  the  churclies  to  participate  in  the  trans- 
action of  business,             .            .            .             .  220 

Antichrist,"  went  out,   ------      3'jO 

Archbishop  Cranmer  pleads  for  the  death  of  Joan,          -  421 

Ancient  Mennonites  Baptists,        .       -            -            -  -      432 

Brown,  J.  N.,  on  Succession,         -           -           -           -  17 

Jjclciier,  Joseph,  on  Succession,            -            -            -  -        17 

IJenedict,  J>avid,  on  Succession,    -            -            -            -  18 

Iiaj)tist  peculiarities,     ------         10 

lielchcr,  Joseph,  on  the  origin  of  the  name  Baptist,        -  20 

Baptist  ministers  from  Europe.           -            -            -  -        82 

Baptists  of  England  sent  to  Holland  for  baptism,            -  87 

Baptist  Succession  from  the  aj)Ostles,  -            .            _  -       ]0,'{ 

Baptist  peculiarity  first  tested  by  the  Bil>le,        -            -  171 

Jiaptists  claim  Jesus  Christ  as  the  founder  and  head,  -       178 

Bible  the  rule  of  conduct,              _            _            _            .  180 
Baptists  claim  the  Scriptures  as  the  sole  rule  of  their  faith 

and  practice,              .           .            .            -  -      184 

Bible  order  of  the  Commandments,           .            -            -  190 

Jjible  order  of  the  Commandnuints  claimed  by  Baptists,  -      195 

]Jurial  in  bai)tism  of  the  dead  to  sin,         -            .            -  J99 

Burial  of  the  dead  to  sin,       -             -             _             -  204 

Bishop  Iledding  for. Close  Communion,    -            -            -  250 

Baptist  ministers  persecuted  in  Virginia,       -           -  -      270 


462  General  Index. 

PAGE. 

Bisliop  and  Elder  the  same  office,  -           -            -            -  302 

Baptismal  Salvation  by  Luther,   -           -            -            -  401 

Baptismal  Salvation  in  tlie  Episcopal  Church,           -            -  405 

Bitterness  of  writers  against  the  Baptists,            -            -  420 

Baxter  on  the  evils  of  Immersion,       .            .            -            .  429 

Charleston  Association,     -            .            -            -            -  28 

Clarke,  Dr.  John,  organized  the  Newport  Church  in  1G38,   -  G4 

Charge  of  Drs.  Miller  and  Rice  against  Jones,     -            -  114 

Cromwell  on  the  rise  of  the  Waldenses,          .            .            _  141 

Creeds  among  Baptists,      -----  187 

Confession  of  Faith  published  by  the  English  Baptists,        -  188 

Communion  objections,      -----  233 

Communion  in  heaven,            .            .            _            .            .  238 

Concessions  to  Baptist  views  of  Communion,       -            -  250 

Concessions  of  Dr.  Hibbard,    -            .            -            -            -  252 

Coke  and  Asbury  for  Close  Communion,              -            -  256 

Campbell  for  Close  Communion,         -            -            -            -  258 

Catholics  and  Protestants  against  the  Baptists,               -  272 

Cruel  treatment  of  the  Baptists  by  Presbyterians,     -            -  273 

Cyprian  to  Fidus  on  Infant  baptism,        -            .            -  309 

Church  in  the  wilderness,        -----  344 

Close  of  the  Waldensean  period,                -            -            -  385 

Catholic  Church, 394 

Calvin  persecutes,              -----  419 

Campbellism,    -------  439 

Campbell  the  head,            -----  439 

Difference  between  Perrin  and  Jones  concerning  infant  bap- 
tism among  the  Waldenses,        -            -            -  116 
Decree  of  Victor  Amadius  to  force  the  Baptists  to  baptize 

children,          -                         -            -            -            -  132 

Discipline  of  Methodists  for  Close  Communion,  -            -  257 

Doctrine  of  the  Novatians,       -----  314 

Donatists,    -------  328 

Dragon  cast  out,            -            -            -            .            -~          .  342 

Destruction  of  AValdenses,             -            -           -            .  373 

Decree  for  the  baptism  of  the  infants  of  the  Waldenses,        -  387 

Dreadful  sufferings  of  the  Waldenses  in  prisons,             -  388 


General  Index.  463 


PAGE. 

Decree  of  Charles  V.  against  the  Baptists,     -            -            -  415 

Doctrine  for  which  the  English  Baptists  were  burned,    -  425 

Doctrine  of  English  Baptists,              .            .            .            .  427 

Early  Welsh  Baptists  missionary,             -            .           -  32 

Early  Baptists  in  favor  of  ministerial  education,       -            -  37 

Events  connected  with  the  Roger  Williams  affair  summed  up,  60 

English  Baptists  not  from  John  Smith,           -            -            -  78 

English  Baptists  descended  from  the  German  Baptists,  84 

Equality  in  church  business  taught  in  the  Scriptures,       .   -  209 

Equality  claimed  among  Baptists,             -            .            _  223 

Equality  among  the  primitive  churches,        -           -           -  290 

Expulsion  of  the  Novatians,          -            .            -            _  339 

Equality  among  the  Waldenses,         -            _            .           _  361 

Episcopal  Church,             -----  404 

Evils  of  immersion,     ------  429 

Faith  before  baptism,        -----  193 

Folly  of  communion  with  Reformers,             -           -            -  259 

Flight  of  the  Woman,       -----  336 

Final  Dispersion  of  the  Waldenses,    -            -            -            -  385 

German  Baptists  not  from  the  Munster  riot,        -            -  91 

German  Baptists  from  the  ancient  Waldenses,          -            -  99 

Graves,  J.  R.,  on  church  independency,  -            -            -  224 

Growth  of  infant  baptism,      -----  310 

Howell  on  Succession,       -----  18 

Holmes  whipped  for  preaching,           -            -           -            -  273 

Horrible  cruelty  of  the  Reformers,           -            -            -  414 

Injustice  of  charging  Baptists  with  the  Munster  affair,         -  94 
Infant  baptism  among  the  Waldenses,  from  the  Spiritual 

Almanac,             -            -            -            -            -  123 

Infant  baptism  not  in  the  old  Waldensean  confessions,         -  126 

Infant  communion,            -            .            -            -            .  297 

Infant  baptism  a  fearful  sin,                .            -            _            .  311 

Infant  baptism  the  invention  of  the  Devil,          -            -  411 

Infants  saved  by  baptism — Wesley,   -           -           -            .  438 


464  General  Index. 


PAUIS. 

Jeter,  J.  B.,  on  the  "  Old  School "  Baptists,        -           -  25 

"  James  and  Mary,"    -            >            -            -           -           -  78 

Jesus  the  founder  of  his  church,                .            -            .  172 

Jeter  on  the  use  of  creeds,      -----  187 

Jesus  baptized  before  communion,            _            -            -  243 

Jones  on  the  dispersion  of  the  AValdenses,     -           -  886 

Kingdom  visible,               -----  9 

Kingdom  of  God  not  meat  and  drink,            -            -            -  12 

Liberty  of  conscience,             -----  223 

Lord's  Supper  in  the  Kingdom,    -            -            -            -  244 

Lutheran  Church, 399 

Luther  calls  the  Baptists  "  devils,"          -            -            -  402 

Lutheranism  from  Home,       -----  403 

Luther  persecutes,            -----  420 

Munster  Riot,              ------  92 

Miller  and  Eice  against  Jones,     -            -            -            -  115 

Modern  AValdenses  enrolled  with  the  State  clergy,                 -  127 

Milton  on  the  rise  of  the  Waldenses,        .            -            -  141 
Ministers  to  rule,        -            -            -            -            -            -211 

Ministers  are  servants,      -            -            -            -            -  212 

Mixed  communion  sanctions  error,    -            -   1         -            -  246 

Modern  Baptists  persecuted,        -            -            -            -  271 

Meeting  of  the  remnant  of  the  Waldenses  after  their  dis- 
persion,        -            -            -            -                        -  389 

Millions  destroyed  by  the  Catholics,        -            -            -  393 

Modern  Baptists,        ..----  409 

Martyrdom  of  Wagner,     -----  412 

Martyrdom  of  Ilubmeyer,      -----  413 

INIartyrdom  of  Baptists  by  the  Reformers,            -            -  414 

Martyrdom  of  Satler  and  his  wife,      -            -            -            -  415 

Mennonites,           ------  431 

Mosheim  on  the  Mcnnonites,              -            -            -            -  432 

Modern  Mennonites  have  departed  from  the  faith,         -  434 

Methodism,     -------  435 


General  Index.  4G5 


No  succession  from  Roger  Williams,        -            .            -  53 

Noble  lesson  against  Infant  baptism,              -            -  _       135 

Novatians,             ------  I54 

Novatian's  character  by  Dupin,         -            -            -  -       155 

Novatian  churches  not  from  Novatian,   -            -            -  158 

Novatians  from  the  primitive  churches,         -            -  -      161 

Novatians  the  Apostolic  Church  of  Christ,          -            -  164 
Novatians  were  Baptists,        -----      155 

Noble  defense  by  Patrick  Henry  of  Baptist  preachers,    -  -  280 
Novatian  period,         ------      313 

Novatians  opposed  baptismal  salvation,               -            -  317 

Novatians  immersed  their  converts,               -            -  -       318 

Novatians  were  strict  in  comniunion,       -            -            -  325 

Novatians  were  prersecuted,              _            -            -  -      326 

Novatians  retire  to  the  valleys,    -            -            -            -  341 

Oldest  Baptist  Church  in  America  at  Newport,        -  -        61 

Organization  of  the  present  Providence  First  Church,    -  52 

Origin  of  the  Baptists  hid  in  the  depths  of  antiquity,  -      101 

One  pastor  should  serve  but  one  church  at  a  time,         -  303 

Origin  of  baptismal  salvation,             -            _           -  _      306 

Oates,  a  Baptist  preacher,  tried  for  his  life  for  immersing,  428 

Perrin's  report  of  Waldenses  baptizing  children,       -  -       116 

Pope  and  Maguire  debate,           -            -            -            -  118 

Position  of  slaves  in  the  church,        -            -            -  -      213 

Positions  of  minors  in  the  church,           -            _            -  215 

Persecutions  spoken  of  in  the  Bible,              -            -  -      267 

Persecutions  in  Massachusetts,    -            -            -            -  272 

Preaching  in  prison,               -            -            -            .  >      277 

Primitive  churches,          -            -            -            -            »  285 

Primitive  churches  practiced  immersion,      -            -  -      287 

Primitive  churches  opposed  baptismal  salvation,            -  288 

Primitive  churches  equal  in  point  of  privilege,         -  -       292 

Primitive  churches  strict  in  their  communion,                -  295 

Primitive  churches  persecuted,          -            _            -  -      298 

Preservation  of  the  church  in  the  wilderness,      -            -  346 
Popish  blasphemy,     ------      396^ 


466  General  Index. 


PAGE. 

Presbyterianism,                _____  407 

Protestant  decree  against  Baptists,                -            -  _      418 

Queen  Elizabeth  persecuted  the  Baptists,           -            -  424 

Eoyal  Encyclopedia  on  the  Munster  affair,                -  -        97 

Eice,  Dr.  N.  L.,  against  Jones,    -            -            -            -  115 

Eepentance  prior  to  faith  with  the  heart,      _            -  -       192 

Eestricted  communion,    -----  233 

Eestricted  communion  among  Baptists,        -            -  _      262 

Else  of  the  hierarchy,       -----  305 

Else  of  infant  baptism,  -----      307 

Eome  not  to  be  reformed,            -            -            -            -  331 

Eome  described  by  Waller,   -----       332 

Eomanism,            -            -            -            -            -            -  394 

Eomish  blasphemy,                -            -            -            -  -       395 

Eomish  baptismal  salvation,        -            -            -            -  397 

Else  of  Lutheranism,  -----       400 

Eise  of  the  Episcopal  Church,     -            -            -            -  404 

Eogers  for  burning  Baptists,              «            -            -  _      423 

Secession  of  the  Anti-Mission  Baptists,  -            -            -  24 

Smith,  John,  repudiated  his  baptism,            -            -  -        81 

Trott,  Elder  S.,  on  the  separation  from  the  missionaries,  -        24 

The  Savior  immersed,       _            -            _            _            -  200 

The  Baptists  sided  with  Washington  in  the  Eevolution,  -      226 
The  charge  of  Close  Communion  not  applicable  to  Baptists,       255 

The  true  Church  persecuted,        -            -            _            _  266 

Terrible  persecution  of  early  Christians,       -            -  -      299 

The  great  apostacy,          _____  329 

The  Waldensean  period  closed  in  the  year  1686,       -  -      391 

Traditions  of  Eome,         _____  39(5 

Terrible  decree  of  Charles  Y.,'          -            _            -  _      415 

Union  of  the  corrupt  Church  and  State,  -           -            -  334 

Validity  of  Novatian's  baptism,         _            -            -  -      320 

Valleys  of  Piedmont  described,    -            -            -            -  347 

Vengeance  on  guilty  nations,             -           _           -  -     392 


General  Index.  467 

PAGE. 

Welsh  Tract  Church  emigrated  from  Wales,        -            -  65 

AValdenses — the  name,            _            _            -            _  _      i07 

Waldenses  driven  out  of  the  valleys  in  1686,       -            -  128 

Waldensean  Confessions  contain  no  infant  baptism,  -  -      135 
Waldenses  regarded  infant  baptism  as  a  mark  of  Antichrist,       137 

Waldenses,  their  origin,    -----  138 

Waldenses  from  the  Novatians,          _            _            -  -      142 

"Waldenses  never  needed  any  reformation,            -            -  146 

"W^aldenses  claim  an  uninterrupted  succession,           -  -      149 

AVashing  away  of  sins  in  baptism,             -            -            -  202 

Women  to  keep  silence  in.  the  churches,        -            _  -      216 

Women  allowed  to  pray  and  prophesy,     -             .             -  217 

AValler  on  the  folly  of  Open  Communion,       -            -  -      248 

Waldensean  period,           -----  336 

Waldenses  claim  Jesus  as  their  founder  and  head,     -  -      349 

Waldenses  claim  the  Bible  as  their  rule,               -            -  351 

Waldenses  buried  in  baptism,             _            _            -  _      355 

Waldenses  opposed  baptismal  salvation,  -            -            -  356 

Waldenses  strict  in  communion,         -            -            -        ,  -      364 

Waldenses  persecuted,       -----  370 

Waldensean  women  and  children  perished  in  the  snow,  -      374 

Waldensean  children  represented  as  beasts,          -            -  376 

Waldenses  committed  to  the  flames  in  1232,               -  -      378 

AValdenses  increased  under  persecutions,              -            -  379 

Wesley  for  baptismal  salvation,         -            -            _  _      437 

Zuingle  debates  with  Baptists,      _            -            -            -  41c 

Zuin^lians  against  the  Baptists,          -            -            .  -      4H 


THE  TEXT-BOOK  ON  CAMPBELLISM 


^'AS  reached  the  Third  Edition.  Errors  of  the  press  have  been  removed 
'"~"  from  the  last  edition  of  this  work.  Among  the  multitude  of  com- 
mendations of  the  Key  to  Campbellism,  on  its  first  appearance,  we  have 
the  following: 

OPINIONS   OF  THE   PRESS. 

"We  hail  the  appearance  of  this  book.  It>  is  the  very  thing  needed  by 
our  ministers  who  have  not  time  to  read  all  of  Campbell's  writings  —  the 
very  thing  for  our  members,  for  it  places  a  key  to  the  mysteries  of  this  se- 
ductive system  in  their  hands;  and  with  this  book  and  the  New  Testament 
they  can  withstand  this  error.  The  times  demand  that  it  should  have  a 
wide  circulation.  It  should  be  in  every  Baptist  family." — The  Baptiat, 
{J.  It.   (j raves,  Editor.) 

"The  work  itself  we  consider  the  best  book  on  the  subject  for  popular 
reading.  It  gives  a  clear  view  of  what  Campbellism  is;  shows  its  mani- 
fold inconsistencies,  and  refutes  its  errors.  Without  parade  of  learning, 
it  presents  common-sense  views,  which  must  carry  conviction  to  all  sin- 
cere and  candid  inquirers." — N.  M.  Crawford,  {PreaideiU  of  Georfjetown 
l.'ollcye,  Kentuckij.) 

"After  reading  the  work,  I  am  thoroughly  convinced  this  very  text- 
l;ook  is  needed  in  every  section  where  Campbtdlism  prevails.  I  have  never 
iret  with  any  work  which  fills  its  place.  Here  we  have  an  index  to  all 
P'[r,  Campbell  taught,  with  chapter  and  page  for  everything  that  is  ever 
tillirmed.  Ilis  fallacies  are  clearly  shown,  in  short  and  pithy  chapters.  I 
I  ave  seen  the  time  when  I  would  have  given  double  the  price  of  the  book 
IVir  the  chapter  on  Mr.  Campbell's  twenty  contradictions.  Suffice  it  to  say 
tlie  book  is  a  success,  and  should  meet  with  an  extensive  sale,  especially 
ill  Kentucky,  where  Mr.  Lard  succeeds  so  well  in  preaching  original  Camp- 
bellism."— A,  Ji.  CubaiiiiH,  {PrcHident  Broionnville   Female  Cottefje,  Tenn.) 

"There  was  a  place  for  this  work,  and  the  work  fills  the  place.  The 
distinguishing  peculiarities  of  the  Reformation  are  brought  out  by  a  great 
variety  of  citations  from  the  writings  of  Mr.  Campbell  and  his  'disciples,' 
and  confuted  with  'short,  sharp  and  decisive'  arguments,  combining  the 
authority  of  Scripture  and  the  demonstration  of  logic;  (though  not  with- 
out occasional  and  even  serious  errors  of  the  pen  or  the  press.)" — Index 
and  Baptint,  Georyia. 

"If  it  is  possible  tr  present  the  system  produced  by  the  current  refor- 
mation, as  it  is  taught  by  the  leading  '  disciples,'  this  book  has  faithfully 
presented  it.     Many  ^ho  atylo  themselves  '  Christians,'  may  not  acknowl- 


470  Text=(Book  on  Campbellism. 


edge  the  picture  which  our  author  draws  ;  many  would  shrink  from  con- 
fessing the  errors  which  he  brings  to  the  light.  But  the  book  is  neverthe- 
less an  exposure  of  the  system.  If  thousands  are  connected  with  this 
error  by  accident,  or  prejudice,  or  education,  whose  experience  and  prac- 
tice or  a  denial  of  it,  this  phenomenon  constitutes  no  good  reason  why  it 
should  not  be  exposed.  Manfully  meeting  error  for  the  love  we  bear  to 
the  truth,  and  kindly  treating  the  erring,  is  the  only  sure  way  to  stop  the 
progress  of  the  former,  and  win  the  latter  back  to  the  primitive  faith." — 
Kentucky  Baptist. 

"  The  author's  aim  seems  to  be,  to  show  from  these  writings  what  Mr. 
Campbell  and  his  followers  really  teach,  but  he  does  more  than  this — he 
enters  the  list  of  the  disputants  to  show  the  errors  and  sophistry  of  Mr. 
Campbell's  teachings,  and  their  wide  and  vital  divergence  from  the  teach- 
ings of  the  New  Testament  and  of  Baptists.  The  work  shows  thought  and 
studious  research — its  style  is  sufficiently  lucid.  It  does  not  take  the 
place  of  Elder  A.  P.  Williams'  master-piece  on  the  leading  features  of 
Campbellism — his  review  of  Moses  E.  Lard — but  it  has  a  place,  and,  seem- 
ingly a  very  appropriate  place,  of  its  own.  We  have  not  fallen  upon  one 
bitter  or  malicious  sentence  in  it,  and  we  hope,  for  the  honor  of  truth,  there 
are  none.  When  the  venom  of  hate  distills  its  poison  upon  a  defense  of  truth, 
the  truth  suffers  from  its  virulence.  Any  one  wishing  to  know  what  Camp- 
bellism, or  the  current  reformation,  generally  so-styled,  is,  can  distinctly 
ascertain  it  by  a  careful  perusal  of  this  book.  And  if  the  refutation  of  it 
he  there  finds  is  not  satisfactory,  he  will  find  one  that  is  so  in  A.  P.  Wil- 
liams' review  of  Lard." — Texas  Baptist. 

"  This  is  evidently  the  work  of  one  who  has  made  himself  entirely  familial* 
with  Campbellism;  who  has  read  its  inmost  heart;  of  one  also,  who  loves 
that  faith  which  was  of  old  delivered  to  the  saints,  and  is  ready  to  contend 
for  it  earnestly.  We  commend  the  book  to  such  as  may  desire  a  succinct 
view  of  the  history  of  Campbellism,  with  a  statement  and  refutation  of  its 
])rincipal  tenets.  The  style  is  direct,  pungent,  and  the  reasoning  conclu- 
sive, because,  while  logical,  also  scriptural." — The  Standard,  Chicago,  III. 

The  TEXT-BOOK  is  sold  to  Agents  at  a  discount  of  one-third  off. 
Single  copies  are  sent  post-paid  by  mail,  at  $1.50.  All  orders  should  be 
adlressed  to  D.  B.  Ray,  Lexington,  Ky. 


V 

PaMished  Monthly,  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  by 

A.  s.  worhell  and  d.  b.  eay, 


Is  a  high=toned  Family  (Periodical^  devoted  to 
the  elucidation  and  defense  of  the  whole  Truth,  as 
held  and  maintained  by  baptists  ;  and  it  will  also 
be  the  province  of  the  gf^ff^f |  kindly,  but 
faithfully,  to  expose  the  various  forms  of  religious 
error  which  have  inundated  our  land.  Especial 
attention  will  be  given  to  the  cultivation  of  self= 
denying  piety  of  heart  and  life.  (Baptist  history 
will  also  receive  due  consideration, 

ffifc^  gtSttStl  ^^  ^  neatly =hound  pamphlet 
of  forty =eight  pages,  printed  in  clear  type,  on  good 
paper,  suitable  to  be  bound  in  booh, form.  The 
best  writers  of  the  denomination  are  its  contrib^ 
liters. 

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more,  will  receive  one  copy  gratis,  for  one  year.  As  a  contribution  to  the  Cause 
of  Christ,  we  zvill  furnish  the  Sentinel  to  any  Minister,  or  Student  for  the  Ministry, 
One  Year  for  One  Dollar. 

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HISTORY,  KEY  TO  CAMPBELLISM,  AND  BAPTIST  SENTINEL. 
Address, 

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